The former yellow-and-red sporting director speaks candidly on the derby and more: “The Friedkins have created a headless monster. Radja is the acquisition I’m most proud of, but he played with his life.” Trasimeno Lake has been drained dry as well… Just a few days before the derby, anticipation in Rome is already frenzied. Discussing the significant impact of the city rivalry on the two teams and more, Walter Sabatini stepped into the spotlight on ‘Radio Radio’: “The value of the derby is special, there’s no point in highlighting it. It influences people’s minds for an entire year. But given the historic moment for both, a loss would be more painful for Roma than for Lazio. Roma has a serious league ranking problem and is at risk of causing irreversible damage. Why the battle to avoid relegation in the spring becomes lethal, a circumstance that subjects you to monumental stress every Sunday. At the helm of Roma is a man who knows the intricacies of the challenges at hand and will handle them adeptly. “Ranieri is an excellent coach, but above all, a great manager, and he will know how to guide the spirits again this time.”

“His intuition was better at Lazio or Roma?”

“At Lazio, there was a lot of confusion. Lotito has solved major problems – he really is a master at this, executing an incredible maneuver with the Treasury over a debt of 300 million.” We formed a team with loans and free transfers, but I remember it with great pride – an immensely strong team coached by Delio Rossi. We made it to the Champions League, with a midfield that still moves me to this day: Ledesma, Mudingayi, Mutarelli, and Mauri as attacking midfielders. “At Roma, I worked for many years and in various contexts. I conducted a pyrotechnic market, reaped a lot of money, and reinvested. Pallotta – credit must be given where it’s due – never once asked me to stash money under the floorboard, he always agreed that I reinvest it all. This gave me the opportunity to acquire many important players.” “Why is AS Roma currently performing poorly?” “There is no leadership. The Friedkins have created a headless monster. The sporting director was missing, all we had was a young man who I’ve only now come to hear of in two interviews and he left a good impression, but he was not there before and neither was the general manager. The supervising directors, indispensable figures in football, were also absent. There was no management of the locker room. A choice that they made, a colossal error. Teams do not belong to the owners, but to the people. “It was necessary to make themselves heard, but they didn’t,” said the anonymous source.

When asked, “Who is the player that has given you the most pride?” The answer was profound. “Nainggolan, a mixed bundle of joys and sorrows.” He was a true fool, jesting with himself and his own life, but it didn’t dampen his spirits come Sunday- he was always the best on the field. He even drank up Lake Trasimeno, the lake of us Umbrians, where the Romans claimed very important victories. We could also say that he drank up the entire Lake Vico, for instance, one that is well-known to Romans.”

“Mistakes that would not be repeated, besides cigarettes?” “For me, cigarettes have been a lifelong companion, providing me with comfort and joy. There was a cigarette for every occasion, for disappointment, despair, joy. Seventy a day, but I paid a hefty price. “However, I would do it all again.”

“Advice for Ranieri on the new coach?” “No, for me there is no new coach for Roma, for me the only one is Daniele De Rossi. However, I won’t start causing trouble because I care deeply about Claudio. But, if you ask me, the only coach for Roma should be De Rossi. “He had given a face and a soul to the team. This is not a matter of affection, but of analytical reasoning.” Why was he let go? “A consequence of there being no emotional intermediaries to translate the work of the coach. Who told him what was happening? Athena the Greek? There were no characters capable of narrifying the team’s sports curve, the training, and the coach’s ability to lead a group. “Figures that were missed.”