Roma Preview of 2017: What can we expect?

Jim Pallotta, Roma President: “I think we obviously want to see the stadium approved and shovels in the ground. We want to see that we continue to improve in football ops, whether it’s academies or scouting. Umberto is getting in there more. We’ve got a bunch of areas to work on that I don’t think were run very well, or as well as they can be at the club.

"I’m hoping that the entire team - not just the 11 players on the pitch - have a very healthy year and a good year. It’s just not about the guys that are playing at Roma - it’s about the people who are in the kitchen, it’s about the security guys, it’s about everybody. We just want to keep improving and hoping that the family is intact.”

Mauro Baldissoni, Roma General Manager: “2017 has to be the continuation of what we are already doing because consistency and stability enable you to win points. The project we had with the new ownership is to be a Champions League team. We want to be able to play Champions League football consistently, to be at the top of European football. The more consistent, stable and competitive you are, your chances to win will increase.”

Umberto Gandini, Roma CEO: “It is the year of the new stadium project approval and hopefully we can start breaking ground and building our dream. It is another gem of the collection, hopefully along with the final stages of the Europa League competition. And it is the challenge of competing for the Italian title. The most important thing is that we keep growing, domestically and internationally, so that we will be able to qualify for the Champions League which I’m pretty sure is our natural habit. Then we can become a consistent player at that level for many more years. 2017 to me is the year of the definitive affirmation of our goals, and to become a stable player in top competition in Europe.”

Mauro Baldissoni: “We also need to increase our revenues. It’s tough when competitors have much higher revenues than Roma, so our target is to increase revenues across the board – commercial, ticketing and media revenues have to increase. The more you gain visibility through winning games, both in Italy and Europe, the more chances you have to increase revenues. We certainly believe that the new stadium can be a game-changer for sure. That’s why we have invested so much in having a new stadium.”

John Solano, Roma fan: “Obviously we need to open our own stadium but we’re a couple of years away from that. One thing we can do is to adopt the mentality that Juve has in every single match. Regardless if they are playing a team like Pescara or if they are in the Champions League playing Real Madrid, Juve always comes in with this professional, concentrated mentality which Roma has severely lacked over the last couple of years, particularly in the winter and spring.

"That’s what we need to do to get on Juve’s level: up our mentality, hold our concentration and we need to be more professional in the matches against smaller teams. If we can do that, I think we can at least attempt to reach the level of Juve.”

Darcy Norman, Roma Director of Performance: “I hope 2017 will be much better on the injury side - but we have gained experience from it all [in 2016], refined the programs and made the systems better to deal with everything. At the end of the day, UEFA did a study that shows there is a direct relationship with injuries and success. The team that puts its best team out the most often is the most successful.

"So, if we’ve had the success on the pitch despite the bad luck we’ve had with the injuries that we’ve had in 2016, then with what we’ve learned from the whole recovery process and if we can keep a few more injuries at bay in future, then that bodes well for 2017. That’s a tribute to the coaching staff, and the systems they have put in place, and all the guys working around them.”

Umberto Gandini: “Off the pitch, we have to become more sustainable. We have to increase our revenues - we have to be more stable in our commercial developments and ticketing operations. We have to develop and improve the existing revenue streams in order to have less of a need to count on the shareholders to support the development of the club or the transfer market, which obviously has been very important throughout the years for this club to be at the level it is now.

"The more we can keep the core players together, the better it will be for the results on the pitch. If we increase our revenues commercially in a very serious matter, we will have less of a need to go to the transfer market to get the revenues to sustain the club.”

Wayne Girard, Roma fan: “I think you’re going to see the team find its niche. Things are going to come together and you’re going to see the chemistry build. It might still be too late for the title unfortunately, barring any slip-ups from Juve, but I think you’re definitely going to see this team come together to be possibly the strongest side we’ve had since either Spalletti’s last tenure or the Scudetto season. When you look at other teams that we’ve fielded in the past five years against Juventus, it’s almost laughable to see the quality that we’ve grown to and the togetherness that the team shares.”

Umberto Gandini: “The claim that we have empowered recently in our communications towards the fans and the world of football is, ‘Together We Can’. We are demonstrating that, together with our fans, who are very passionate and important in our development, and with our partners, together we can be competitive. Together we can be challenging. Together we can be champions in sport and in life. This is our goal and we have to work relentlessly together to regain our role as the leading institution of this city and to represent Rome - and Italy internationally - as Rome deserves.”

Alberto De Rossi, Roma Primavera coach: “We're all going to have to work really hard. We have lots of young pros here and our management and the scouting team have given us a highly competitive Primavera squad. They've got so much promise and the lads are coming on in leaps and bounds. They feel a part of it and I believe the team we've put together can have their say in all the competitions we're involved in – both in Italy and on the international stage.”

Kevin Strootman, Roma midfielder: "We need to make sure we ready for the second half of the season. In 2016, Juve have picked up the most points in Europe and it's very difficult to win when you're in the same league as them. They're very strong, but so are the teams behind us. We need to do our job to stay ahead of them and we'll see if that's possible during the year. We have to win and do well in every competition. We have an excellent squad and the board will know what to do in the January transfer window. Nevertheless, our squad has 23 players who are capable of starting for Roma."

Jim Pallotta: “People ask me if Roma still excites me. I’m actually more excited than I’ve ever been. In spite of people thinking that I’ve disappeared, I still have a tough time watching games without pacing up and down. I’m excited about the changes and transformations that I think we’re making. If I look at the first couple of years for me, a lot of it had to do with dealing with financial institutions that might not have been doing what they said they would do.

“Then, it was learning some aspects of the leagues, teams and the football world, which is substantially different in many cases than what you might be used to in American sports. Getting to the point where you say, ‘Screw this, we’re going to make these decisions that are best for the team.’ Making those decisions faster in a way that is right for the team is where we’re getting to. I’m pretty excited about the quality of people that we’re attracting right now to take this team forward for the next 10 years.”

Luciano Spalletti, Roma coach: "In 2017, I expect the same things as in 2016. We have to go down the same path and do the same things. For sure, it will be a fantastic Roma."