The men of De Rossi's staff: Simone Beccaccioli

Simone had already spent nine seasons at Roma, his maiden campaign with Claudio Ranieri at the helm in 2010-11. “I left in 2019 and it was heart-wrenching. However, I knew that sooner or later our paths – at least mine and Daniele’s - would converge once more.”

So, you’re back at Trigoria, with your friend De Rossi in charge.

“For many years Daniele and I said that we’d work together once he became a head coach. He told me this way back in 2014, ten years ago. He already had very clear ideas about what he wanted to do and what he’d need to do to achieve it.”

Additionally, you and Daniele were in the Roma youth teams together, the both of you in the class of 1983…

“Indeed - we’ve known each other for slightly under 30 years. I go just as far back with Lele Mancini too. We’re all from the class of 1983. Obviously when we were kids we played two different sports - Daniele had a career in football while I was involved in another discipline. However, as I already mentioned, our aim was to be reunited, sooner or later. 

I’d like to thank him and the Club Ownership for this opportunity and extend my gratitude to the rest of the coaching staff. We’re a very close-knit group who’ve already been through some intense times together, and they welcomed me right away as if I had always been part of the family. From the get-go our chemistry has been fantastic. It’s an honour for me to be part of this coaching staff, with Daniele leading the charge.”

On that note, what do you make of him as a coach?

“I’ll be honest with you – it’s as if he’s been in the trade for 20 years. He’s overflowing with ideas and he’s on top of everything, including details which outsiders may deem to be less important. Sometimes the term ‘English-style manager’ is overused, but in this case it truly applies to Daniele – he leaves no stone unturned. He’s completely open-minded. I thought that he was almost exclusively interested in the matches themselves and tactics, but it turns out that he’s got the mental capacity to be on top of everything. As for what he’s like with the coaching staff, it goes without saying…”

Go on, elaborate...

“He listens to everyone, he gets us involved us all of the time and there’s always someone covering every aspect. It’s an ideal environment - it’s a pleasure to work in and a great forum. Even more importantly, he does the same with the players, with the appropriate level of authority. He relates to everyone in the same way, regardless of a player’s reputation or track record. I’m delighted to be back here and I’m living the dream.”

You say this in light of the fact that you’re joining from Napoli, where two seasons ago you were part of Luciano Spalletti's Serie A-winning coaching staff.

“That’s right. I had an amazing experience in Naples, thanks to Spalletti who was keen to bring me in. The way we won that title… However, when the possibility of returning to Trigoria to work with Daniele arose, I didn’t think give it a second thought. It became the only thing I wanted, at any cost. 

“After going around the block so many times, working with so many coaches and having a variety experiences, working with him feels like the closing of the circle, the step that I consider the most important for improving and maybe even completing myself as a professional. Doing this at Roma is the icing on the cake, but I would’ve worked in any league, anywhere, to be with Daniele.”

Hearing it from someone who’s worked with many different coaches is impressive, especially given that you’ve worked alongside professionals of the calibre of Vincenzo Montella, Luis Enrique, Zdenek Zeman, Aurelio Andreazzoli, Rudi Garcia, Luciano Spalletti, Eusebio Di Francesco and Claudio Ranieri, on two occasions.

“All of those coaches you just cited I worked with at Roma – I also collaborated with some of them further afield, such as Di Francesco at Cagliari, and Spalletti and Garcia at Napoli. However, Roma is where I built my career, even if I’d previously already worked in the national team for four years, where I coincided with Daniele and experienced the wonderful 2006 World Cup, as a young member of Marcello Lippi's coaching staff. I’ve got so many memories from my time at Roma.”

If you had to single out one, what would you go for?

“That’s an easy one - Roma 3-0 Barcelona. In that match Di Francesco – a man I see as a top tactician – really used his nous by fielding a back three.”

Has your role as part of a coaching staff changed since those days?

“Nowadays my job is more hands-on compared to back then when I was more of a match analyst. The two roles can now overlap – they’re closely related. The transition from video analysis to the pitch is a natural consequence. Footage has become fundamental when it comes to giving players all of the tools to know what they have to do on the pitch and how they have to deal with the opponents. In my role you work with the coach, their staff and the sporting director. For example, even though I worked as a match analyst, I dedicated the greatest proportion of my time to Walter Sabatini and scouting.”

Now you’ll be dedicating your working hours almost exclusively to De Rossi. 

“I’ll say it again – I’m having a great time. From a professional point of view it’s really satisfying. We mentioned Spalletti and I want to stress one thing: Daniele’s greatest strength – which reminds me of Spalletti – is having an undogmatic approach to football. ‘Do what’s necessary’, he’ll say, without being bound to inflexible ideologies.

“Working with a coach who’s totally open-minded and who doesn’t discard ideas from the outset is the best thing for someone who constantly studies football like me. Having the opportunity to freely suggest ideas or possible solutions is like being a child and spending all day at a theme park – it’s a load of fun. Even in this regard you can understand how meticulous and brilliant he is in his role, because Daniele always has a response to whatever you say to him, which is rationalised and perfected. What’s more, I’d like to stress another concept…”

Go on...

“Football is becoming more all-encompassing. For me, the goal of every team is to find – regardless of ideologies – their own balance, the one that the coach deems appropriate. This increasingly involves perfecting the ‘invisible’ phase of play, the one split between the non-possession phase and the possession phase, and vice versa. The game is moving so fast that being ready for this switch is now fundamental. We’re working well in this sense too.”