De Rossi’s guidance for Abraham as Roma readies for the unexpected

De Rossi advises Abraham ahead of his first Roma start in over 300 days, as Roma prepares for surprises from Thiago Motta's Bologna.

Chirag

April 22, 2024

Daniele De Rossi Advises Tammy Abraham — Silvia Lore/Getty Images

Daniele De Rossi shares the insights he imparted to Tammy Abraham before his long-awaited start for Roma, spanning over 323 days, as the team braces itself for the unpredictability of Thiago Motta’s strategies with Bologna.

The match kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 17:30 UK time (16:30 GMT), with real-time updates available on the LIVEBLOG.

With only four points differentiating fourth from fifth place in the table, Roma still has the pending task of completing the remaining 18 minutes plus stoppages against Udinese on Thursday.

“Thiago is a coach who likes to surprise with his formations and attitude,” De Rossi shared with DAZN. “They often saw a lot of the ball against big teams, but in other situations would sit back and wait. We’ll see what they do today. We have prepared for both eventualities, so we’re ready for whatever surprise we get.”

Following Romelu Lukaku’s injury during the Europa League quarter-final triumph over Milan, Abraham steps into the starting lineup for the first time since his injury setback on June 2.

“It’s good to have enthusiasm, and he has it. At times having a serious injury can also give you that frustration that comes from being forced to sit there and watch your teammates, so when you get the chance, you want to get out there and make up for lost time.”

“The important thing is that he concentrates on football, not to waste that energy in things that are less important. I spoke to him, he is very concentrated, I have great faith in him. There can be some struggles after returning from a long injury lay-off, but we have great faith in him.”

Despite being a seasoned figure at Roma, Stephan El Shaarawy continues to display resilience and earns another start this evening.

“Everyone’s fitness levels are decent, obviously we’re going to be a bit more tired than Bologna. El Shaarawy has to push and when he runs out of steam, which will probably be before the 90th minute, we have other options off the bench who can do well too.”