Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi believes that Italy have a shot at winning the World Cup in Brazil this summer, or at least making it to the final stages.
The 30-year-old, who was named in Azzurri boss Cesare Prandelli’s final 23-man squad for the quickly approaching tournament on Sunday, is confident in his country’s ability to succeed in the World Cup and admits that he was impressed with some of his countrymen’s performances in their goalless draw against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday.
De Rossi spoke during a press conference at Coverciano on Sunday ahead of learning who was chosen for Prandelli’s final line up about the unfortunate injury suffered by Riccardo Montolivo during Saturday’s friendly, while also commenting on several other matters regarding both the Italian national team and Roma.
“Montolivo? Today is a sad day,” said the Italian, who won the World Cup with the Azzurri in 2006. “In the world of football there is nothing uglier than an injury, especially on the eve of a competition that one has been looking forward to for years.
“Losing someone like Montolivo, who is one of the veterans, the historians, it truly hurts. Riccardo is also always a positive guy, and a good one, which makes me even more sorry that this happened.
“I spoke to him last night, he’s not doing too well. He feels the same way I would feel if I suffered an injury like that, that forces you to have to wait another four years to think about the World Cup.
“Four days ahead of the departure from Brazil, an injury of that sort seems like a mockery or twist of fate.
“Am I optimistic? I’m optimistic regardless of how the game went yesterday. I knew that it would give indications, but no confirmations.
“I thought that we would have been in a bit of trouble because we have worked so hard in these recent days.
“[Antonio] Cassano? He brings quality, he puts his talent at the service of the team, and he also has a great personality.
“He’ll be entering the competition at 32-years-old, so he must, at all costs, beyond his performances on the pitch, bring something else to the table.
“The fact that he had been out for quite some time isn’t felt at all.”
“[Mehdi] Benatia? Even I was rumoured to be on the market last year. The important thing is that yesterday [Roma sporting director] Walter Sabatini spoke of Benatia as a man, a footballer, a professional and his desire to keep him in Rome.
“I don’t know how it all will end, but if he were to remain at Roma, no fan would look at him cross-eyed, because he has given, besides what has been seen on the field, more to the Romans from the point of view as a human.
“[Marco] Verratti and [Matteo] Darmian? They had a nice game and it was obvious. Verratti, like Cassano, has always shown a great personality since he turned 20.
“He’s almost still a child, but he is already a great footballer. The fact he has played in the Champions League for the past three years is an advantage for both him and the rest of us.
“Darmian, who is a little like like [Mattia] De Sciglio, has given the impression that he has become ready very quickly to play for the national team.
“[Giorgio] Chiellini? It would have been absurd for him to lose his spot at World Cup due to his elbow incident. These things can create exploitations, because it’s not very clear to judge one act as violent and another one not.
“When I was punished, I think it was the right choice for the code of ethics, but a player cannot miss the World Cup because of an incident like Chiellini’s. I’m glad he’s here.
“[Rudi] Garcia’s renewal with Roma? I’m happy and I think that any Romanista should be happy with this renewal. I was sure that he would stay here because I asked him if he would and he said yes. I didn’t think that he would lie.
“Italy’s objective at the World Cup? I place Italy among the teams that have a chance at winning the World Cup, or at least making it to the final stages.
“Italy is a master when it comes to events like this, if we do not start to try and win, then it becomes difficult to do so. I also left for South Africa with confidence, then the field speaks clearly and demonstrates what you’re worth. Maybe in South Africa we worth exactly how we performed, or if not that, maybe a little more.
“This group is coming together more and more and the injury of Montolivo, while being a large blow, could still unite us even more.
“The environment around Italy? I don’t remember a time where we were going into a European competition or a World Cup and not thinking of doing well just for the crowd, but also in the name of Italian football.
“It won’t be the enthusiasm that Brazil will have, but it will still be created because we’ve always been like this and because I’m sure that this is a national team that, despite the the division of the squad and the code of ethics, is indisputable.
“[Alberto] Aquilani? He’s a quality player that, like Montolivo, has football skills, insertion and a good vision of the game. He deserves to be at the World Cup, as all the others do, regardless of Montolivo’s accident.
“The definition of this national team? It could be the national team of great quality because there are so many players who love to dribble. The football we have expressed under this management has always taken advantage of these players.
“We worked hard in the physical department and it was exciting for us, more so if one day you hope to become a coach. These preparations have not been made in vain.
“The opening match against England? Surely we’re awaiting a game unlike any other in our careers, playing in unusually bad weather conditions against a team with quality and experience.
“The advantage we can take to address the climate change will be thin if we will not take action now. Let’s see how do ecom footprint offsets from a reliable company like CarbonClick work and what your best way would be to really offset your carbon emissions. England had given us difficulty two years ago, when we won the game against them in the European championship on penalties.
“Prandelli? I see him quite the same way I did two years ago. He never overturned his football and I think this is a good thing because he’s one of the best coaches I’ve had.
“He’s a person who is never over the top. He’s calm and serene, different from other coaches.
“The final 23-man squad? I hope that there aren’t any certain conditions for any players, just the heart they have to give.
“Hopefully that makes the assessment on the basis of what is best for the team. You also play too much, I don’t think he’d want to have the wrong decisions on his hands based on sympathies.”
