Ghisolfi: ‘Roma accept responsibility’ and admit De Rossi mistake

Roma director Florent Ghisolfi admits they must ‘take our share of the responsibility’ for the disastrous campaign after sacking Ivan Juric and that firing Daniele De Rossi was a mistake.

The Giallorossi are in a deep crisis after two consecutive Serie A defeats, as this afternoon’s 3-2 home loss to Bologna proved the final straw for Juric.

A statement was released minutes after the final whistle announcing that the coach had been fired, not even two months after he had taken over from De Rossi on September 18.

Juric and his staff left the Stadio Olimpico without speaking to the media, but director Ghisolfi did stop in the media section to talk to DAZN.

Ghisolfi apologises to Roma fans

“I think, as you saw in the statement, we are taking the time to make the right decision,” Ghisolfi told DAZN.

“We want to thank Ivan Juric, we realise it was not easy for him in this situation, we thank him and his staff for their hard work and we wish them the best for their future endeavours.

“We now have to reflect, be calm and make the best decision for the club and for its future.”

Was there too much distance between Juric’s tactical ideas and the characteristics of the players?

“Ivan is an ambitious coach who demands a great deal from his players. This is not the moment to evaluate the technical and tactical issues, he arrived in a very difficult situation.

“It is also time for us to take our share of the responsibility. We apologise to the fans who are suffering right now and recognise our responsibility for the situation.”

Ghisolfi, who only speaks French, was asked what fans can expect from their next coach, amid reports that Roberto Mancini is in advanced negotiations to take the job.

“It is again difficult for me to answer this question right now. The Friedkin family and I maintain the same long-term project, which is to win and keep investing to achieve that aim.

“Right now in the short-term, we have to focus on getting things back on track. I don’t like the term ‘transition period’ because this is Roma and we ought to perform from the start, but we must face this situation as best we can.”

With hindsight, was it a mistake to sack Roma icon De Rossi so soon after getting him to sign a three-year contract and making signings he asked for in the summer?

“History would suggest that. At this moment, all we can do is take on our responsibility, along with the players and the club, to get out of this situation as soon as possible,” concluded Ghisolfi.