Totti on Dzeko: "I hope he's among the new signings"

There are very few hard and fast rules to being a Roma fan, but one thing is axiomatic; when Francesco Totti speaks, you listen. Totti took to the mic today or yesterday, I don't know, they're in Australia, it could very well be November there already, primarily to speak about their upcoming match in Melbourne against Real Madrid. However, Totti, as is his want, touched upon a variety of subjects, ranging from the evolution of training methods to the potential of Roma's very own Aussie, Daniel De Silva to Roma's continued attempts to woo Edin Dzeko.

As always, lets parse out Er Pupone's words.

Speaking about his time Down Under:

It's really nice to be here. This is my first time in Australia and we've had a very warm welcome from everyone. So far we have only really seen the hotel and the training ground but it's a nice city and hopefully over the next few days the coach may give us some time to see more of it.

People ask me about that penalty I scored for Italy against Australia in the World Cup in 2006 but that's football and thank God I scored it

Speaking as someone who lived in Melbourne, dammit, Rudi, let them explore Australia's second largest city. From the Melbourne Cricket Ground to Rod Laver Arena, the city actually has quite a robust sporting scene, not to mention all the other cosmopolitan accoutrements; it really is an amazing city, if you get the chance, I highly recommend visiting.

If you forgot Totti's PK against the Socceroos nearly ten years ago, here, allow me:

One's Romaness vs one's nationality is always an interesting battle, so it's good to know that Totti is being received well in Australia, despite ripping their hearts out in '06 on what was really a soft penalty given to Fabio Grosso. In that same tournament, you might recall Daniele De Rossi doing this to Brian McBride, my favorite US soccer player by a mile, but, I mean, it was Danielino, I couldn't be mad, so my inner Romanista won out that day.

Totti then spoke about what is becoming a rite of summer, a Roma-Real Madrid friendly.

I'm sorry that Casillas has left Real Madrid as he is a real icon of the club, I've faced him on a few different occasions and met him off the pitch as well. He's not only a great player but also a great person. However, it's always special to play against Real Madrid, no matter who is playing. It is called a friendly match but there are never any friendly matches when we play Real Madrid as both clubs always want to win

The dispatching of a club legend like Casillas offers us all yet another opportunity to truly be grateful for the relationship between Totti and Roma, to say nothing of his sustained excellence, but I can't imagine Roma as presently constituted will hold up well against Real...yikes.

We'll end it with a couple of quick hits from Totti, the first one on the dentist himself, Daniel De Silva (DDS):

I think he could turn into an immense talent, he has great technique and an instinct for the goal. He could do some good things for Roma, but there will be time

We've covered DDS briefly before, keeping it brief for a very good reason—he's only 17. However brief the book on De Silva may be, it looks like a great read; he's got a great touch already and seems to have that "it", that stride or that gait on the pitch that lets you know he's gonna be a good one.

Francesco then commented on the evolution of training methods and how they've been advantageous for Roma's continental foes:

It's been twenty years and the pace has changed. Once the focus used to be on depth, now it's on speed. It's something else. This new method allows the English and Spanish teams to go all the way, either because they're stronger or because they work better.

Given all of Roma's training ground woes, not to mention the rotating cast of managers, physios, consultants, aroma therapists, sports psychologists etc. etc. this is an interesting and legitimate topic of concern, so it's encouraging that Totti is broaching this issue, particularly, as he says, he's seen two decades of training programs. It's a topic worth discussing on its own, but something about Roma's leg work lately has failed them, there's no denying that.

Finally, Totti chimed in on #DareToDzeko

I hope he's among the new signings because he's a top player, formidable at finalising goals. He'd help us do better...It's not down to me to convince him. Anyway, Pjanic knows him very well. If he comes, he can help us. World class players can improve any team.

Totti isn't one to mince words, so his tacit approval of this transfer is good enough for me, but seriously, Miralem, get your shit together and make this happen.