Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi has hailed Luis Enrique as one of the world's most talented coaches, despite the team's disappointing defeat at the hands of Fiorentina on Wednesday.
Andrea Lazzarri's winner consigned the Giallorossi to heartbreak right at the death, prompting some sections of the club's supporters to boo the under-fire Spaniard, with one banner notably reading: "Empty stadiums, prohibited transfers, was this the football you wanted?"
However, Luis Enrique still retains the affection of some fans, who branded him as a "real man" in response to the negativity around the stadium, and he has now received the backing of trusted disciple De Rossi, who does not want the former Spain international to leave the Olimpico.
"I still maintain that he is one of the most talented coaches in the world," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "He has the same aura about him as people like [Luciano] Spalletti], [Marcello] Lippi and [Fabio] Capello.
"But unfortunately he has also been very unlucky, and I will continue to stand here and defend him."
De Rossi then reflected on the result itself, despite confessing Roma missed out on a golden opportunity to move closer to arch-rivals Lazio in the race for a Champions League spot, he insists he has been accustomed to playing through adversity.
"We expected it a little, it is normal that fans lose patience," he continued. "This was the perfect day to climb the standings, as results went for us, but now we must think about Napoli.
"Roma should also find the same determination without me in the squad, I'm not essential. But we are a team, and we want only one thing: wins.
"We sweat, we fight, sometimes we lose, sometimes we reassemble and sometimes we rejoice. It is understandable that the crowd reacts accordingly, but we are used to tough spells and there's been worse."
Roma have the chance to bounce back from their recent woes with the visit of Napoli on Saturday.
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