Jose Mourinho was relieved Roma picked up at least a point following a frustrating 2-2 draw with Sassuolo.

The Giallorossi took the lead in the first half thanks to Tammy Abraham’s penalty, but the pendulum swung the other way in the second half, and the Neroverdi entered the last few minutes with a 2-1 lead. A Bryan Cristante equaliser in the dying minutes of the match secured a point for the Roman side.

Speaking to DAZN after the match, Mourinho first discussed his emotional reaction to the draw with Sassuolo.

“When you’re losing at 90 minutes and then you draw, the emotional dynamic changes. If people say to me before the game ‘you’ll draw’, I’d say no. The same at the end of the first half and at half-time, but at the 90th minute I say it’s ok. I can compare this match with the losses to Bologna, Verona and Venezia.

“These are games that have many similarities in the last ten minutes. We had chances to draw, 1 point in each is 4 points more. The draw wasn’t the result we wanted, but at least it gives us the chance to feel that we haven’t lost. Am I thinking of more points? Certainly. We could have won against Genoa. We could have had more points.”

The Portuguese coach touched on how the team lacked a bit of technique in their buildup play.

“Yes, ten minutes, even with an extra man, is not enough to change. To come here and have 50-50 or 49-51 possession is not football. That means we had more stability at the back, mainly Kumbulla gave us that quality. I think in the first part of the game we lacked order and discipline.

“Every time the ball came to Vina and Karsdorp, there were few options to play inside and we were practically playing the deep ball which they often anticipated.

“Felix in seventy minutes didn’t have a chance. In the last part of the game even with 11, the team was improving. The point is well deserved. Frustration because we came here to win, but in the end we’ll see how many we have.”

Watch Roma live around the world with ExpressVPN

He spoke about Roma’s strong mindset and how they didn’t lose their heads in the match.

“There’s only one piece of news that I can’t say is a lie, all the rest is fifth-grade journalism. It is journalism without ethics, without the essence of journalism, which is truth. This squad, if it has one quality in which we are unbeatable, it is alchemy, the group. They can say that we are poor!

“They can say that they are all poor, but no one can say that we are not a very united squad. Football-wise, of course, we have our limits. The second goal was one to have nightmares about, as were many other actions.”

Mourinho commented on how the three-man and four-man defences look during training sessions.

“It depends on which way the players feel most comfortable on the pitch. It’s not what I like best, it’s not what I think is the main idea. It’s a consequence of the players we have. That for me is very important. Depending on our characteristics we make the best puzzle where the players feel best.”

The former Chelsea and Inter coach discussed Lorenzo Pellegrini, Sergio Oliveira and the rest of his midfield.

“It’s the first time they’ve played together. Obviously both of them can do better from an individual point of view and from the point of view of chemistry. Sergio has just arrived, Pellegrini the same. There was a bit of a risk to play 90 minutes, but it was a risk we had to take depending on the result.

“The chemistry can always be improved. I can’t hide the fact that Cristante, Veretout, Pellegrini and Oliveira are quality players, but we don’t have those who need to play there, in the engine house, who make it turn, who choose the rhythm of the game.

“For me the adaptation of Mkhitaryan, who is obviously not a regista, was really good. He is not that player there, but among all those players he is the one who has more criteria, who thinks better about the game and movements, who finds the spaces better.

“For me he is the most functional player. We have to improve, we have to do everything possible to finish the season in the best position in the table.

“We have a Conference League to play in. People are wrong when they think it is a competition without quality. The other day I saw PSG-Rennes and I saw a fearsome opponent.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tickets Kit Collector