Spalletti: Totti can be a Giggs

Luciano Spalletti asked Roma captain Francesco Totti “do you want to be a Ryan Giggs, a Pavel Nedved or a player?”

The Coach froze his star player out after a controversial television interview complaining at the lack of “respect” and playing time.

Spalletti spoke to Sky Sport Italia after tonight’s 5-0 win over Palermo and gave more insight into the situation, as Totti will be 40 in September and it doesn’t look as if Roma want to offer a new contract.

“If you recall my first interview after becoming Roma Coach, I said that this would become a fundamental issue and I did not want to get involved.

“It is right that Totti does what he wants to do and I put every role at his disposal. With his history and charisma at Roma, he can do any role he wants to and everybody will follow his lead.

“I asked him do you want to be Giggs? You can be Giggs. Do you want to be Nedved? You can be Nedved. If you want to be a player, then you have to be on a par with the others in the team and I can’t allow you any special treatment.”

Giggs became an assistant manager at Manchester United after retirement, whereas Nedved went straight into a new role on the Board of Directors at Juventus.

“I was called to Roma in order to help the team emerge from a difficult situation and find results. I have to think of the team first and foremost, on the best way to achieve those results.

“The club knows that if Francesco asks anything, I am on his side. I have a wall in my house with lots of shirts hung up and seven or eight of them are his.

“Today my son asked me why I was arguing with Totti. We’re not arguing! I just want to do my job. Tonight there was the opportunity to let Totti play and if he continues training with this intensity I will give him a few run-outs.

“He can’t run as much as the others, but in terms of quality there are things only he can do. When it comes to choosing the line-up or keeping the rules, that is my job and I have to be even-handed.”