Roma coach Jose Mourinho said he will decide tomorrow if Tammy Abraham plays against Juventus on Sunday but stressed it’s ‘not a battle’ between him and Max Allegri. ‘May the best team win’.
The Giallorossi travel to Turin to face the Bianconeri at the Allianz Stadium tomorrow, when the two most successful coaches in the championship clash on Sunday.
Serie A Preview | Juventus vs. Roma: Allegri and Mourinho meet again
Both Mourinho and Allegri are two coaches who are known for trying to win at all costs and have been criticised for their tactics. But the Portuguese tactician underlined that the results make you win.
“There’s an unusual concept,” Mourinho said at a press conference. “Those who care more about the results are those who win.
“It seems that caring about the results is negative, but it’s actually the other way around. For me it’s the wrong conception.
“I have won and Max too, this must be seen in a positive way, not as something negative. It’s not a battle between me and Max, but between Roma and Juve.
“It’s not me against Max. It’s a pleasure to greet him before the game. There’s respect and esteem. We have seen each other in many conferences, there’s no great friendship but I like Max as a person, and we are on good terms.
“It will be a pleasure to see him and I’m happy that he’s back to work. A coach like him can’t spend too much time on holiday.”
Abraham has been uncertain since limping off during England’s 1-1 draw with Hungary, but was back in training today.
Mourinho said he will make a decision tomorrow, after assessing the former Chelsea forward’s conditions.
“We’ll see tomorrow if Tammy will play or not,” he said. “He hasn’t trained much today, but he will travel with the team.
“Tomorrow we will decide if he will start, if he will be on the bench or in the stands. But he’s getting better every day.
“If Tammy can’t play, we have two players in shape to play and there are no problems.”
Mourinho has a history with referee Daniele Orsato and criticised the Italian referee in the media in the past.
But the Giallorossi coach claimed he’s not worried about the match official tomorrow.
“Before the game, I’m always happy with the referee,” he said. “I don’t care about the past. Many times, I’m not even interested, I trust everyone. I start from the principle that everyone is good.
“In this case, he is a very experienced man and I’m happy. After the games, sometimes they make mistakes, and I’m not happy.
“The criticism comes out, which is normal. The starting point is always that I’m happy with the referee before the match and tomorrow will be no different.”
Mourinho visits Juventus for first time since provoking fans
Personally, however, Mourinho wasn’t sure if he should expect a hostile environment at the Allianz Stadium, as he returns for the first time since provoking the Juventus fans.
“I don’t have any problem,” he said. “I expect the same welcome as always, or maybe different. I don’t know.
“Last time, at the end of the match, I had a criticised reaction and I saw it as a strange thing. People were left with the emotional reaction of 10 seconds and forgot 90 minutes of the game.
“But I have been in football for many years, it’s no drama.”
Last term, Roma finished 16 points behind Juventus, and Mourinho was asked if the Giallorossi will manage to close that gap this term.
“We started the championship a few weeks ago,” he said. “Sometimes it’s difficult to answer because we are repeating the same things over and over.
“One thing is a team that win nine out of 10 championships, another is a team that win zero out of 10. Another thing is a newly arrived coach, and another is a team that have played with Max for eight years.
“There’s a difference, however, when the game starts and we are there, it’s 11 against 11 until the last second and all of this must be forgotten.
“We must have the personality and courage to get there and play our game to win.”
Mourinho said he will take his Roma to the Allianz Stadium ‘to win’ the match on Sunday night.
“We have a game plan, we are growing,” he said. “A certain identity is important to me. We go there to play and if we don’t win, I want it to be Juventus’ fault and not our fault.
“All this difference in history and status doesn’t exist on the pitch. May the best team win on the pitch tomorrow.”
Juve have played with Max for five years and not eight.