Sabatini: What Spalletti has done with this team is stunning

Speaking to Mediaset prior to Tuesday's Champions League game between Manchester City and Real Madrid, Sabatini addressed questions about Roma's season, Miralem Pjanic's growth as a player and Francesco Totti's iconic status.

"Luciano Spalletti's results are incredible," Sabatini said. "His points average at Roma is title-winning form.

"Luciano is a top coach and I'm stunned by what he's been able to do with this group."

Are you a bit disappointed that you didn't get Spalletti before?

"You know better than I do that the whens and hows of football are rarely predictable. Obviously, looking at his progress, it's a fair question but you also need to bear in mind that Juventus' run of victories will never be repeated: 24 wins out of 25 games is just unbelievable.

"Spalletti came when he had to but I don't believe that, despite his incredible results, Roma would have won the title with him in charge throughout. We would have been more competitive, that's for sure. Spalletti is doing brilliantly but I'll also say that we had to protect [Rudi] Garcia as long as we could, seeing as he picked up 155 points in two years at the helm."

Why did you turn to Spalletti in January?

"Because he's a fantastic coach and an extremely professional individual. He knows how to do his job on the pitch and get the best out of the people working with him. He's a top-level manager. I really am stunned by what he's managed to achieve with this squad. This is true of any team but if you don't have someone who's able to lead the group, excellent players aren't enough to succeed. In terms of passing on instructions, Spalletti is up there with the best."

What can you tell us about the day Miralem Pjanic signed?

"I remember that day very well – it was really early on under the new ownership at Roma. Claudio Fenucci, Antonio Tempestilli and I were in a room at the Ata Hotel in Milan. Miralem was there for a medical and we hired a private plane to take him to Rome when we didn't even have the agreement drawn up with his agent. I'm particularly proud of Pjanic because he's a high-quality footballer who's able to unlock situations. He is rightly viewed as a prince of football but when you check the statistics, you see he runs as much as a ball-winning midfielder. He moves so efficiently. He's 26 now and he's carrying Roma on his shoulders. Pjanic is coming into his prime."

A while ago, you said about Francesco Totti that he's the 'sun who sets over the rooftops in Rome'.

"That comment is still relevant today. Whoever lives in Rome knows that the light lingers over the rooftops for ages and when I said Totti was that light it was because he never goes out. Even after five years, it's still true: He hasn't gone out. The question for Totti is: 'Do you want to go out on top or when you can't do it any more?'. He thinks he can still play, he's got this desire."