09/02/2014
The thoughts of Federico Balzaretti in a press conference earlier:
"I was the one who requested this press conference, to bring you up to speed on my injury and tell you what I'm going through. I would like to say a few words to the Roma fans and the people who have helped me.
The issue cropped up around 10 months ago. I felt pain in my pelvis and, given that I'd never experienced anything like that before, I thought it would pass and I played the Sassuolo game in a lot of discomfort. At the end of that match I had to stop and we discovered that I had injured my pubic symphysis: there should be cartilage there but there no longer is and the surrounding bones have also worn away.
We tried going to America for an operation but unfortunately it didn't produce great results. Then we decided to operate on both sides of the pubis, where some nerves were cut to see if I would feel less pain. I'm afraid that didn't work either.
"Unfortunately this injury doesn't allow me to do even the most basic work on the field. I'm not able to kick the ball or run without it flaring up. It actually even got worse after the operation. I have been very clear with my team-mates and I want to be equally so with the fans. Unfortunately I still have months of rehab ahead of me. Now I have a device that I sleep with at night and we hope that will improve the situation with regards to pain, thanks to electromagnetic fields. I will be out for several months and there's a chance that this pain may end my career. I want to tell everyone that I will do everything I can, I still feel like a footballer and I will try to come back from this. I will do everything in my power to get back out there because I love my job. I'm feel bad for my team-mates, I feel guilty and I would like to experience the highs and lows with them. I'm out but they're always there with me: everyone knows that. I would like to thank the doctors and the club, I've never wanted for anything: Roma are a family that are supporting me from all sides. I am going through a tough time psychologically, it's frustrating to wake up in the morning with the hope of getting well. Unfortunately there is no exact timeframe on this injury and that's the hardest thing to take. I still have a lot of faith in inside, I really believe in what I can I do. I've got a wonderful family around me. My message to the supporters is that I won't give up and I'll give everything, but I'm afraid I don't know when this injury will be resolved.
"Take a pay cut? I've spoken to the president and the club is free to do as they wish. That's not what's at stake here. I don't want it to come down to a wage issue. Either way they have carte blanche. They've always been there for me. The club has never wanted to do anything, because the Giallorossi are a family and they don't treat you simply as footballers but look at you as people. That's the difference between here and other clubs: Roma, from the president to the coach, is a family and that's why so many players want to come here. You can see a family when they support a player who's not healthy: this is something that sets the club apart.
"The coach? There are no words to describe him as a human being. He's always there for me, always ringing me before and after my operations. I'm sorry because we were all counting on me being back in September: Unfortunately I can't play my part on the field but he's always behaved – and continues to do so – impeccably with me. He's a special person.
"A coaching career? I want to feel 100% a footballer and I would like to continue playing, so that's a question I'd rather not answer.
"Who's given me the most support in the group? I'm very close to De Rossi and De Sanctis: they're the people I know best regardless of this injury. Everyone's there for me and they always try to involve me and, whenever I can, I take a peek outside to see what they're up to on the field. They give me the strength I have and these are things that at times make the difference: not feeling cut off and always feeling part of the squad and the project. This gives me the strength to keep going and overcome the difficulties I face.
"The injury is not something I feel in the gym and I always have to push a bit harder on the field to test how much pain I'm in. I don't have big issues in everyday life. My problem is that I can't run or kick a football. All I can do is promise that I'll do everything I can to recover."
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at least Rose looks recovered now and is doing quite good at the FIBA cup. I see him being back to his old self or pretty damn close this coming season. Chicago has quite a team with him back.
what a shame 
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It's a shame we don't have four CL spots anymore because we could all be increasing the prestige of the league in the CL. Hopefully Viola and Napoli take our lead by aiming to do well in the Europa this year.
