Roma’s Head of Performance Mark Sertori discusses improving Dybala’s condition, Hummels and more

Roma’s Head of Performance, Mark Sertori, gave a long interview to Il Romanista.

Having joined the club only a few months ago, Sertori detailed his arrival as well as life at Trigoria.

“I spoke first with Dan Friedkin, then with Ghisolfi and then again with Dan Friedkin: I immediately understood the Friedkins’ vision and I said “I’ll come right away.”

“The club is a top club, which has changed a lot in recent years, but which has been at the top of Serie A, making important runs in the cups. The goal is not to do well for one year, but to win league titles and get to the Champions League for 10-12 years straight, thus creating continuity of results.”

“Manchester City, for example, has had different phases in recent years: Guardiola arrived after a long journey, also built with other coaches, a path of global growth of the club. After the title won with Aguero’s goal, the club stabilized at great levels. But Roma is more advanced than Manchester City was 15 years ago.”

“Here in Rome I feel an incredible energy, the blood of the fans, you always feel them, there is no word to describe them, “energy” perhaps is not enough. Here Roma is a religion.”

“I am the director of performances, in other words I am the head of “Sport Science” or physiotherapists, masseurs and psychologists. Everything that concerns performance is my responsibility. Here I have found a lot of quality, a lot of experience, we need to make a change of pace, slowly this change will happen.”

“We have had difficulties, it is true, De Rossi was sacked, then it was Juric’s turn, but now there is Ranieri. I know him well, he has been in football for 50 years, everyone knows him. And now we have to climb the table, this is the primary objective.”

“Dybala? I hadn’t worked with him yet. But Paulo has incredible technique. Yes, we are trying another way with him, we can’t say which one, but the aim is to make him play as much as possible, to make him more consistent, we have seen what he can do when he is on the pitch.”

“We want him to reach the standards of the other players. But sometimes nature surpasses science.”

“I’ll give you an example. I worked for many years with Vincent Kompany at City when I was a therapist. He was constantly hurting his calves and we tried everything, we worked together for hours and hours, I went home at 3 in the morning for him. But he was playing and he was hurting himself. Sometimes there are players like that, it’s nature. You are there looking for something in the body but you find nothing, I know many like that in England.”

“Mats Hummels out of shape? It seems clear to me that whether he plays or not is the coach’s responsibility. I only speak about my work and I tell you that in him I found an excellent professional, with energy, character, experience, a man of enormous value.”

“He came here to Rome for his experience, for his incredible career. Every day he helps the younger guys a lot in training, he guides them: Mats is an example of professionalism, he gives 100% every day.”