De Rossi studied under Mourinho before managing Roma.

Dutch coach Daniele De Rossi studied and researched the style of his predecessor Jose Mourinho long before being appointed to manage Roma.

Mourinho joined Roma in the summer of 2021, on a contract until the end of the 2023-2024 season. The "Special One" led Roma to win the 2021-2022 Conference League, reached the Europa League final last season – where they lost 1-4 to Sevilla on penalties – and finished sixth in Serie A twice.

"I studied Mourinho's Roma very carefully when I was simply a fan. He achieved great results in Europe and reached the finals of both competitions in over two years in charge of the team," De Rossi said in Rotterdam on February 14th at a press conference ahead of the first leg of the Europa League play-off against Feyenoord.

However, De Rossi insisted he would not copy "The Special One," as each coach has a different vision, preferences, style, and approach. The Italian coach only rotates the squad by changing a few positions, explaining that changing the entire starting lineup would cause players to lose form and fitness, and make things difficult for those who rarely play together.

De Rossi at Roma's Trigoria training ground on February 13. Photo: asroma.it — De Rossi at Roma's Trigoria training ground on February 13. Photo: *asroma.it*

After succeeding Mourinho on January 16th, De Rossi led Roma to three consecutive wins, defeating Verona 2-1, Salernitana 2-1, and Cagliari 4-0, before losing 2-4 to Inter Milan in Serie A. The 40-year-old coach will make his European debut today as Roma visit Feyenoord for the first leg of the Europa League play-off round in the Netherlands.

"I'm delighted to be managing the team in Europe for the first time, and honestly, it wasn't something I was expecting so soon," De Rossi expressed. "February 14th is my daughter's birthday, and a year ago I was sacked by SPAL. So I'm very grateful to be here right now."

De Rossi is a Roma legend, playing for the club from 2001 to 2019, scoring 63 goals in 616 matches and winning three titles: the Italian Cup in 2007 and 2008, and the Italian Super Cup in 2007. De Rossi considers the 1-7 defeat at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals in 2007 as his worst memory from playing in Europe.

Conversely, he considers the 3-0 victory against Barcelona in the second leg of the quarter-finals to advance to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018 thanks to the away goals rule as his most memorable moment. On that day at the Olimpico stadium, De Rossi wore the captain's armband for Roma and increased the score to 2-0 in the 58th minute with a penalty kick.

This is the third consecutive time Roma have faced Feyenoord in a European Cup match. In the 2021-2022 season, Roma beat Feyenoord 1-0 in the final thanks to a goal from Nicolo Zaniolo to become the first-ever Europa Conference League champions. This result secured Roma their first European Cup title in history and ended a 14-year trophy drought, since the Italian Cup in the 2007-2008 season.

The two teams met again in the quarter-finals of the Europa League in the 2022-2023 season. Feyenoord won 1-0 in the first leg in Rotterdam. However, in the second leg at the Olimpico, Roma won 4-1 after extra time to advance with an aggregate score of 4-2.

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