David Moyes will regret not snapping up this Serie A superstar
Francesco Totti is the symbol of Roma, but after the living legend comes a second favourite son of the Eternal City, Daniele De Rossi. For years elite clubs abroad have pursued the Italian’s signature in vain, only to be swiftly rebuffed due to what the midfielder himself has called “one of the greatest love stories between a club and a player” in history.
But for if for only a moment this past summer, De Rossi admitted that he considered leaving the Stadio Olimpico for the first time in his career.
A torrid 2012-13 campaign rife with difficulty for both the Giallorossi and the 30-year-old in particular saw him willing to listen to offers, though ultimately the Rome native couldn’t bear to think his last game for his beloved outfit would’ve been the Coppa Italia final loss to arch rivals Lazio and reneged.
Manchester United boss David Moyes has now been quoted by the Daily Star saying that his side thought to bring in De Rossi prior to this season, but failed to seize upon the situation and missed their window of opportunity.
And sorry the Red Devils should be that they didn’t act on their interest.
In short, the Roman gladiator has returned to a high level of play under Rudi Garcia after trying times with Zdenek Zeman and Aurelio Andreazzoli at the helm.
A Performance Score of 507 sees him the eighth ranked midfielder in Serie A at present, ahead of the likes of Arturo Vidal.
Serie A’s Top Midfielders This Season
Foremost is his ability to read the game from his deep-lying role directly in front of the defence, having made 46 interceptions though 17 appearances, good for second best in the Italian top flight behind only Nigel De Jong.
No United player has made as many to date, Tom Cleverley grabbing 27 whilst injury-hit marquee flop Marouane Fellaini came up with only 16 in eight Premier League outings.
Only Michael Carrick has rivaled De Rossi’s average of six total defensive actions per game this term this term – also tackling at a slightly higher rate (41%) than his Italian counterpart (38%) – though lacks the Roman’s prowess in the air in winning nine headed duels to the Stadio Olimpico man’s 28.
Furthermore, going forward has also been abundant for the Giallorossi talisman.
His 20 successful take-ons would place him fifth in Moyes’ side in arrears of only men deployed in attacking roles, only Adnan Januzaj and Wayne Rooney have completed more.
Daniele De Rossi Duels Won
Meanwhile, De Rossi’s distribution has been outstanding, seeing him complete 89% of his passes, including 138 of 171 long balls (81%), en route to creating 13 chances despite playing the most defensive role in Garcia’s three-man midfield.
Daniele De Rossi Passes (89% Pass Success)
Manchester United have distinctly lacked inventiveness in the centre of the park and whilst De Rossi isn’t a marauding playmaker, his ability to be incisive from deep areas forces opponents to compensate and opens up space for those further forward.
Such is made possible by his intelligent reading of the game, proven by his high number of interventions that leave adversaries scrambling to defend the counter and caught out of position.
Carrick is a comparable character to De Rossi in terms of his qualities, though missed significant time with an injury, and quite possibly could be even more effective in tandem with a player of the Roma man’s ilk.
A tenacious character, the Italian could’ve added both drive and technical excellence to a midfield that has sorely lacked both this season.
The chance for United to bring in De Rossi may have been fleeting, but at the player’s own admission was there, with the opportunity to pre-empt what has been a dismal first showing under Moyes lost with United’s failure to act.
And a regret it certainly should be, as the born and bred Roma has rediscovered his form and could’ve been a brilliant asset to the former Everton boss in beginning a daunting project at Old Trafford.