Mexes focused on Empoli and the record, not the derby
Philippe Mexès has dismissed any thoughts of the derby ahead of Roma’s match against Empoli, as the Giallorossi look to equal the Serie A record of consecutive wins.
Roma are on the verge of writing their names into history with a tenth straight League win on Sunday, but Mexès insists that winning the game is foremost in his mind regardless of the distraction of records or the upcoming Rome derby.
“We must get three points against Empoli,” he said today. “Although, now that we’re almost there, the record would be a great achievement.”
Paolo Di Canio said this week that he would happily lose 7-0 to Fiorentina this weekend if it meant beating Roma in the following game, but Mexès laughed off the Lazio captain’s comments. “If he is happy to lose 7-0 against Fiorentina, that’s fine by us,” he said.
The 23-year-old then joined the long list of players who have eulogised Coach Luciano Spalletti for masterminding the club’s revival in the face of enormous obstacles this season.
“I know few Coaches as good as him,” he declared. “Now we all look forward to training and with this squad we will be capable of achieving great things.”
Spalletti has brought together a previously fragmented and disenchanted squad and managed to bring the best out of them.
Francesco Totti, Simone Perrotta and Amantino Mancini are just three of the players who have been reborn under Spalletti’s expert guidance.
All of the above have done their World Cup prospects no harm at all – and the same can be said of the French defender, who has been exceptional in Roma’s rearguard this season.
“I’m not going to go mad over a World Cup place,” he said. “I’m just thinking about Roma.
“I’ve never thought about leaving here and I’m not yet satisfied with my contribution – I want to prove that I have more to offer.”
Roma’s run has launched them into the Champions League reckoning. The club from the capital now lie in fifth, just two points adrift of Fiorentina, who slipped up against Livorno last Sunday.
A win over Empoli would equal the previous League record of 10 consecutive wins shared by four different teams and last achieved by Bologna in 1964.
It would also set up a rousing Rome derby the following weekend, which would see them fighting not just for local pride but also a new all-time record.
