Houssem Aouar wasn’t fulfilled when José Mourinho was in charge of Roma. Since the Portuguese’s dismissal and Daniele De Rossi’s appointment, things have been looking up for the Fennec.
The Algerian international has only played 13 matches (3 goals) this season in Serie A with the club currently ranked 5th in the Italian championship. This is obviously too little compared to the expectations placed on him when he arrived last summer. However, since the coaching change, Aouar (10 caps, 2 goals) has enjoyed more playing time under the Italian and has had two starts in three games. Especially on a personal level, it’s working!
“Everything changed with De Rossi. The difference is that now the coach talks to me a lot. He asked me to increase the intensity and I did it, I train every day to be ready if needed,” explained the former Olympique Lyonnais player in remarks reported by AS Roma Press, as if to underline a contrast with Mourinho’s methods, which evidently lacked communication in Aouar’s eyes.
A promising end to the season?
Despite being a young coach, De Rossi seems to be a good communicator, an essential quality for a high-level coach. And the season is not over yet, so the former Lyon player could get more playing time before the end of the championship. There are nine Serie A matches left for Roma, who will also face AC Milan in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, and Aouar obviously hopes to finish the season on a high. Algerian fans hope that the former midfielder, who played 616 matches for Roma, will give him more opportunities, which seems possible given the relationship between the two men. Could this start as early as Monday when they host Lecce?
