Alberto De Rossi on Roma’s need for a second team: “The leap from Primavera to Serie A is too big.” | OneFootball

Alberto De Rossi, who has been in charge of Roma’s youth sector since this past summer, gave a long interview to Il Messaggero, in which he analyzed the future of the Giallorossi youth system and the importance of the second teams.

Among the central points of his argument, the need for a more structured growth path for young talents.

“When we went out on the street we played football for many hours, now it is no longer like that. We insiders will have to propose it again. Then, probably, we will see the results in 10 years.”

“It starts with putting people in charge who are passionate about the job and are not bureaucrats.”

“The problem is that there is too big of a gap between Primavera and Serie A,” he added.

“In foreign countries young players play a lot. In Italy they don’t, because the clubs think about the result. We should talk seriously about the second teams.”

“If you play Primavera against Primavera, how do they evolve? A boy at 20 years and six months is handed over to senior football and has very little experience.”

“At 20, some are already champions, like Yamal. He and many others have had the opportunity to play, ours don’t. Politano, for example, started in Serie C, then B, lower A and upper A. Our process starts late. Who knows how the perception of the player would change if, instead of making him stay in the Primavera until he’s 20, I immediately gave him the opportunity to compete with the big boys at 18?”

“They are not all Bove, Pellegrini, Florenzi, De Rossi or Zalewski. Others need to take a longer route.”

“Players should be done with the Primavera at 17 and a half. Then they should join the second team and start from there,” he continued.

“At Roma we want to bring players to the first team. That’s our mission. I believe blindly that it is possible. We play with six 2007s in the Primavera, they are two years younger than the average. All the others in Italy are 20 years old, except Milan because they have the second team.”