Arrived this summer on the bench of Louve, José Mourinho had an idyllic start with Roma but is already going through his first crisis of results against a background of dubious communication.
If Rome is an eternal city, difficult to say the same of the coaches who have succeeded on the bench of Roma. Since the beginning of the 2010s, only Rudi Garcia has remained at the head of the Giallorossi for more than two years. By choosing José Mourinho, Roma turned to a renowned coach with clearly established playing principles and whose track record is well established. What to give back, on paper, a little stability to a club which has been sorely lacking for several seasons. However, in recent weeks, the Giallorossi have been showing very little serenity. While Roma move on the lawn of Genoa this Sunday (8:45 p.m.), Jordan Veretout’s teammates have only one victory over the last seven games in all competitions and point to 6th place in Serie A. In Europe, Mourinho’s men are only 2nd in their group in the Europa Conference Conference and remain under the threat of non-qualification in the 1/16 round.
A promising start before the fall: a new constant at Mourinho
Without being catastrophic, the situation has nevertheless deteriorated considerably since the first steps of the “Special one” in the Italian capital. As often, the Portuguese coach was very quickly adopted by his new club. Under him, Roma got off to a great start with six wins in six games in all competitions. “Before Mourinho, Roma did not win the matches where they suffered. This is the team that knows how to suffer and who knows how to win even the toughest matches. Even on the management side, we feel that Mourinho wants to do a lot of things. Rome is back to dreaming with Mourinho», Explained in mid-September, on Eurosport , Guillaume Maillard-Pacini, journalist specializing in Italian football.
Read alsoFortress, alchemy, ambitions … Mourinho’s promising first steps with Roma
But with the “Soft”, the fairy tale can suddenly take on the appearance of a bad dream. Last season many British observers imagined Tottenham joining in the title race. After 12 days, the Londoners, led by Mourinho, proudly stood at the top of the Premier League before collapsing completely. Last April, Spurs management made the decision to part ways with Special One as Tottenham held some sort of 7th place. In the past, we can also mention his stint at Manchester United (2016-2018) which started with two trophies won in the first season before a second trivial exercise then a third marked by conflicts with his locker room, a very criticized communication and the Red Devils’ worst start to the season since 1990. This time around, at Roma, the difficulties come sooner than expected.
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A historic defeat and players singled out
There was of course the defeat in the derby against Lazio (3-2, on September 26) which was the first major hitch for the Mou and his troops. The Portuguese had just failed in the first big meeting of the season but his Roma reacted in the next game by winning at home against Empoli (2-0) after a success in the Europa Conference Conference against to the Ukrainians of Zorya Louhansk (0-3). The setback that really ignited the powder took place in this Europa League Conference precisely. On October 21, the Giallorossi will move on the lawn of the Norwegians of Bodo / Glimt. The result was a scathing and improbable 6-1 defeat for Mourinho’s men. Never has a team coached by the Lusitanian technician conceded so many goals in the same match.
«This defeat is my fault“, Mourinho had immediately declared at a press conference in front of journalists who then imagined a coach eager to take full responsibility for this humiliation in order to protect his players. It did not happen. “I knew the limits of my squad, nothing new. I have a group of 13 to 14 players and another more limitedThen said the Portuguese. And the Soft did not pray to openly point to players who had not met his expectations. Marash Kumbulla, Bryan Reynolds or Riccardo Calafiori were directly mentioned by Mourinho who had all the trouble in the world to hide his skepticism about their level.
A communication strategy that does not really convince on the other side of the Alps. “How can you give yourself more than 100% in training when your coach has decided to publicly humiliate you?“Asks the former footballer Paolo Di Canio on Sky Italy. An opinion shared by ex-Juventus midfielder Alessio Tacchinardi at the microphone of TMW Radio. «Dirty laundry should be washed in the cloakroom», He believes. Since this defeat, the Romans have won only one match, on the lawn of Cagliari (1-2) on October 27.
The Special one, always supported
However, the Portuguese does not seem to have lost his locker room for the moment. Criticized for his insufficient performance in recent weeks, Tammy Abraham claims to have the full confidence of his coach. “He told me that I was a great player but that I had to be meaner in front of goal. He wants to make me some kind of monster», Declared, enthusiastically, the former striker of Chelsea. The tricolor midfielder, Jordan Veretout, also wanted to come to the aid of his coach. “He’s a winner. It is rigorous and makes everyone want to give 200% for the team», He said in an interview with The Gazzetta dello sport.
Outside the locker room, several voices also rise to defend José Mourinho. And not the least since two former legends of the club, Daniele De Rossi and Francesco Totti, recently explained how the Mou was “not a problem” for the Louve. “The Romans will be satisfied at the end of the season, if they refrain from sacking Mourinho. He’s one of the strongest coaches aroundSaid the former midfielder on Sky Italy. For his part, the iconic former goalscorer of Giallorossi wished to recall the pedigree of Special One. “He’s won more than all the Serie A coaches put together so we have to keep focusing on him», He indicated, on Sky Italy also.
Finally, the former coach of Chelsea and Porto retains the confidence of his leaders for the time being. “We need time and I am referring to the squad, the mentality and all the sports structures around the team. We are not going to make a team emerge instantly and this is certainly not the time to question the project, the strategy and even less the leadership of Mourinho.“, Argued Tiago Pinto, general manager of the club. For now, the time has come for appeasement on the side of Roma where the situation nevertheless remains highly flammable.
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