Lorenzo Pellegrini returned to the starting XI in Sassuolo-Roma after an injury. His performance was one of the few positive aspects for the away team. The midfielder will look to recapture his peak form in the next few games, with the World Cup playoffs in mind.
Pellegrini spoke with SportWeek about his coaches: “José Mourinho manages to extract something out of you even if you do not have it. He prefers to play vertically. Instead, Roberto Mancini conveys serenity, and that allows you to risk stuff you would not normally try. He prefers to have possession to control the game, maybe because of his past as a top player.”
Pellegrini commented on the season-long skirmish between Roma and referees: “We all need to take a step back. I do not think anybody is actually persecuting us. I had some excessive behaviors as well. Surely, we hope not to see again errors like the missed penalty kick against Milan. We expect everything to be perfect with VAR. However, we need to have a better attitude towards the officials.”
Despite the words of Pellegrini, the Giallorossi are involved in another controversy. The Football Association opened an inquiry for the aftermath of Roma-Genoa, Il Tempo reports. Former referee Gianpaolo Calvarese, whom the club hired, visited Rosario Abisso in the locker room to soften his report on Nicolò Zaniolo’s infractions. The starlet ended up getting a standard one-game ban. However, Calvarese did not have the authority to act because he did not have an official role.