The loss came against the Nerazzurri, one of the most complete teams in the league and among the main contenders for the Scudetto. It was hardly a shocking result and, in any case, it carries little weight given the important victories that came before it. Those wins were direct and decisive matches, the kind that can prove crucial in the fight to avoid relegation.
The coach’s influence was evident from the start: undoubtedly, being guided by a figure like the former Roma captain brings something extra. Credibility, charisma and respect come naturally to De Rossi. He is a true icon of world football and many of the players he now trains grew up watching him play, for AS Roma or Italy.
Still, it is important to avoid easy rhetoric; there is no magic wand, no instant miracle. The only real magic De Rossi believes in is work: from early morning until late at night, he dedicates himself to finding solutions to the many problems faced by the team.
Lifting morale
He did this at Roma, where he achieved excellent results before being dismissed in a manner that still feels both harsh and difficult to explain. He is doing the same now at Genoa, where he has already won over the fans and the squad, with the players ready to give everything for him.
His time on the Genoa bench has been short, and it is still early to draw definitive conclusions, but the effects are already visible: the team is enjoying football again, something that is often taken for granted by those who watch from the stands or on television, yet it is far from trivial. Fiorentina offer a telling contrast, for example. There, the players seem weighed down by their difficulties. Matches begin to feel like final chances, tension rises and smiles disappear.
The reality is that good football is played when players feel good, when they enjoy themselves, when the group is healthy and the coach has won the trust of the dressing room. This is exactly what is happening at Genoa under De Rossi. The Roman coach has given the team a clear boost. The tempo is higher, the football more aggressive and several players appear reborn thanks to his work.
January plans
There is still a long road ahead, the squad will need reinforcements during the January transfer window, which will not be easy for a club battling to stay up (Pisilli is one of the names linked to Genoa). However, having someone like De Rossi, capable of personally calling players and convincing them of the project, can make a decisive difference.
Two players in particular have benefited from his arrival: Colombo and Vitinha. Colombo is finally beginning to justify the faith of those who always believed in his potential. Vitinha, meanwhile, is showing flashes of real quality, even if consistency remains his main challenge. The De Rossi effect is clear, and Vitinha is almost always the most dangerous player on the pitch for Genoa.
The 3-5-2 system that De Rossi is shaping seems perfectly suited to the characteristics of the squad and this is another of his major strengths. At Roma, his best performances as a coach came with a 4-3-3, but at Genoa he is adapting to the players he has and the results are coming. Beyond the points, which are essential to avoid relegation to Serie B, Genoa must also develop talent that can be sold in the future to reinvest in young players.
Genoa chose right
The decision to trust De Rossi is paying off and Genoa supporters hope this path continues. On the Roma bench, he showed tactical intelligence, attention to detail, and interesting ideas: the real test will be maintaining this level against teams with less technical quality, where matches can become complicated in different ways.
For now, his impact at Genoa has been unquestionably positive. The upcoming fixtures will be demanding, but De Rossi and his players approach them without fear. Regardless of club loyalties, it is genuinely refreshing to see a serious, prepared, and passionate professional like De Rossi leading a team. Football needs figures like him.