with him Napoli is less scary
ROME – Protect me everywhere. It is the somewhat mystical expression that on the Roma socialists has turned into a figurine dedicated to Chris Smalling, the god of defense to whom the fans trust their coronaries. Also tomorrow, especially tomorrow, the solidity of the English leader will be a key element of the match. Only if Smalling continues to play at its levels, Roma have some chance of resisting the shock wave of Napoli: whether it is crossing Osimhen, with whom duels at high altitude are expected, or the more daring Raspadori and Simeone, perhaps after the game has begun , Mourinho hopes his main guardian has the readiness of the best chances.
Continuity
So far Smalling has actually missed a few games. Only one, perhaps, on the night of the general shipwreck in Udine. Particularly heavy for him, who played at the Dacia Arena under the eyes of Gareth Southgate, coach of the English national team. For the World Cup there is still a few weeks of hope but the silence of the motherlanddespite Mourinho’s good-natured solicitations, suggests that Southgate wants to bring the group to Qatar who has attended his classroom more in recent years. And Smallingwho last served his homeland on 10 June 2017, five and a half years ago, will have to accept a bizarre reality. On the other hand, even after the final in Tirana, he confessed to us with a smile: «Not I think I fit into Gareth’s plans (the coach in fact, ed) but there is no problem. I’ll always do my best in every match I play for Roma “. Who knows. If in England a prime minister resigns after 44 days, anything can happen in football too.
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The crossing
Curiously, Smalling, after the first year on loan to Rome, had been sought by Napoli. But his desire to return to the magnificent villa on the Appia Antica – speaking of politics: it is a stone’s throw from Silvio Berlusconi’s residence – prevailed over every other option. After leaving Manchester with regret, Smalling decided that his professional and personal future would be in Rome, even before Mourinho arrived. When the two, after the experience at United that had produced the conquest of the Europa League, found themselves in Trigoria, understanding that the path was right was not difficult. And if it continues this step, if the body supports it, Smalling could have as a gift the automatic renewal of the contract until 2024 already before the World Cup. He only needs 6 appearances to reach the threshold of 20 which triggers the clause. “If José wants me, I’ll stay at Roma” jokes Chris, who for a few weeks has also expressed himself in Italian in interviews. Mourinho obviously has no doubts about the importance of his strongest defender and “prays” to his fans: in a period full of deadly injuries for Roma, the pillar of defense is an indispensable support for Champions’ ambitions.
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