The surprising annncement that Daniele De Rossi's tenure at Roma is coming to an end following the conclusion of the season has been the dominant story line in Italian football. The giallorossi's manager Claudio Ranieri addressed the situation while hosting the pre match press conference to introduce the showdown against Sassuolo:"To the fans who asked me who made the decision on De Rossi I said in London and America, where the president and those who are close to him live. Pallotta's plans for the future? I don't know, they haven't spoken to me about it. In two matches my relationship will end"

Ranieri went on:"I believe that in every football club there must be change. In Italy we saw some teams lose some points of reference. But since De Rossi is a captain, a historical figure, maybe it should have been communicated in a different fashion. This wasn't done with him, this is the law of football. The club wants to change, they want other players. But because Roma fans live this team in a visceral manner more consideration would have brought another behavior (towards De Rossi)".