Genoa, De Rossi: "A swap deal with Roma? People just love to gossip – it’s unbelievable"

"I know full well what would have happened against Roma if we’d lost with that line-up. I’ve read what’s been said since the line-up was announced, and it’s absolutely appalling to cast doubt on someone who’s been in football for 20 years just because he’s playing against his own team or because he’s picked a different line-up. Today I would have been here presenting myself as someone who had to apologise for letting his team lose, and it’s mind-boggling; it all stems from a viciousness and from how many people just want to gossip, but let’s not go back to that because we’re above it. I make choices because I think this player has a better chance of helping me win the match today than another, and that other player might help me win by coming on as a substitute, so this is all a process of decision-making that isn’t just down to me – everyone does it. Sometimes I’ve gone for continuity, a team that’s always delivered, other times I’ve changed things because I wanted to freshen things up, and other times I’ve changed because there were huge differences in attitude, tactics and physical condition between the team that played one Sunday and the one that played the next. Once, Antonio Conte told me that if I had to make a mistake, I should do so using my own head and my own ideas. I think that’s the most important piece of advice.” 

"He’s training and he’s doing well. I think he can be considered fully fit for selection. He hasn’t played for a while, so we’ll need to manage his workload, but he’ll be 100% with us and we’ll make our decision based on the opposition, who played before him, and how they performed." 

"Sabelli is an important player for us. In the dressing room, he’s shown that we may have underestimated him. Since January, he’s started to feel more important, even though he hasn’t played much. And he’s shown that in training. Leali is giving us a hand. He continues to be the professional he’s always been. When you bring in a goalkeeper, the one who was playing before feels sidelined. He, however, is stepping up in training and within the squad. He was happier when he was playing, but these are decisions we have to make."