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ROMA ANALYSIS: Spalletti, Totti and De Rossi need to heal old wounds
Luciano Spalletti and Roma are back together, but that doesn't mean that everything from their shared past is water under the bridge. Though only three players are left from the 2009 team, two of them aren't on great terms with the Tuscan coach. And they just happen to be Roma's two leaders, Daniele de Rossi and Francesco Totti,
Totti's declarations upon Spalletti's departure certainly left their mark: "[Spalletti] was no longer able to get the players to understand him. There were a few problems with the team, his resignation was inevitable. Seeing how well we've done under Claudio Ranieri [Roma would come second that season, to Inter], I'd say it was worth it".
The Certaldo gaffer certainly didn't appreciate his former captain's words, and fired back when Totti congratulated him for winning his first Russian Premier League title with Zenit Saint Petersburg. "I thank him, but he could have said a bit less when I left Rome".
It's likely, in fact, that the team had long since broken with its coach, from the summer of 2008 to be precise. Spalletti was approached by Chelsea and even met with the Blues' representatives to hear them out. After helping Italy secure a 2-0 win against France at Euro 2008, Daniele De Rossi actually singled out Spalletti - who was actually working as a pundit for Rai Sport - as "Chelsea's new manager". A joke, but one that was fraught with meaning.
Now it is up to Spalletti to make things right with the Lupa's two dressing room leaders. Or his second coming will be a very short one indeed.
Marco Demicheli (@marcodemi90) translated by Edo Dalmonte (@edodalmonte)
