Alonso explains why De Rossi success should be celebrated

Undefeated Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso was full of praise for his Roma counterpart, Daniele De Rossi, on Thursday, explaining why he is pleased to see the former Giallorossi midfielder doing so well in the Stadio Olimpico dugout.

The ex-Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder conducted his pre-match press conference on Wednesday evening ahead of the meeting of Roma and Leverkusen in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday night.

The teams will play the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico, kicking off at 20.00 BST, before returning to western Germany for the reverse fixture a week later.

Why Alonso likes De Rossi at Roma

During his chat with the press, Alonso was asked what he made of De Rossi’s start to life as coach of the club that he represented for 18 years.

“I see a lot of similarities. We are from the same generation, he’s a player who had a great career with both Roma and Italy. I am really pleased to see former players who have gone down this route as a coach.

“Roma are playing very well and have some great players, it will be an excellent match.

A hypothetical Alonso-De Rossi midfield pairing

Reporters also asked the Leverkusen coach whether he would have enjoyed partnering De Rossi in midfield during their playing days.

He replied: “It wouldn’t have been bad at all. I liked playing against him, he was complete and competitive. I’ll be happy to see the back of him tomorrow, though.”