Jose Mourinho said Italian football ‘has improved a great deal, but the referee and VAR ruined’ Roma’s 3-2 defeat to Lazio.
The Giallorossi had won all but one of their competitive matches with Mou in charge, but were beaten at the Olimpico by their arch-rivals.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Pedro and Felipe Anderson got the goals, with a Roger Ibanez header and very controversial Jordan Veretout penalty setting up a tense finale.
After the final whistle, Mourinho gathered his team on the pitch for an impromptu speech.
“What we said stays between us. I wanted to immediately do the talk there, but with the same intimacy as the locker room,” Mou told DAZN.
“Let me say something positive first, which is that Italian football has improved a great deal from 10 years ago. The quality of football, the attacking approach, the desire to win, has all improved.”
Mourinho had already started the protests before the game, feeling Lorenzo Pellegrini did not deserve to be suspended, so was furious when he felt Lucas Leiva did not receive a second yellow card for a similar leap leading with the elbow.
He also felt Elseid Hysaj had fouled Nicolo Zaniolo just before Pedro scored the second goal on the counter.
“Unfortunately, a fantastic game was ruined by the referee and VAR, who were not at the right level for this match.
“The second goal could’ve been 1-1, it went to 2-0. The second yellow for Lucas Leiva was important too, because playing against 10 men makes a big difference. Pellegrini got a red, today Leiva got nothing.
“I think my team was the best on the field today. When you concede three goals, you made mistakes, but the second and third were counter-attacks and the second was a situation where the team was expecting a penalty in favour and not a counter against.
“We dominated, we gave Lazio huge problems, they controlled the final minutes the way they wanted to, and because the referee allowed them to do so.”
He did not mention the bizarre penalty awarded when Zaniolo if anything seemed to clip Akpa-Akpro’s knee rather than the other way around.
Mourinho was asked if he was worried by the repeated defensive errors seen in recent matches.
“No, I would be worried if we didn’t try to win the game even during difficulties. I would be worried if we came here and Lazio dominated for 90 minutes. They scored on the counter, a team that is losing has to take risks and that is what we did.
“Evidently Italian football really has changed if after a game like this you ask me about the football and not the referees…
“We allowed Milinkovic too much space through the centre, he has this quality of running into the box, so we made mistakes, but also reacted the way I like, as if nothing had happened. We immediately forgot the error and as a team tried to create chances. We deserved a better result and the referee was decisive in this match.”
Frustrating because I felt Roma was dictating the game especially in that second half. Felt Pellegrini would have been the difference but as usual, inconsistent calls ruin the flow of the game. Serie A is blowing with inconsistent officiating in my opinion. Roma may not have deserved the victory but shouldn’t have lost this game, derby or no derby.
Pretty sure Roma’s second goal was a complete flop from Zaniolo so not sure what Mou is complaining about. Var looked at that and not sure why they decided not to overturn it. Lazio deserved the win and if Immobile was more on point today it would have been 4 or 5 – 2.
I did warn the excuses were coming. It has started 😂
Mourinho was a good coach 15 years ago. Listen to this nonsense he is talking lol! What a clown! Car favoured a Roma side who were average! Scored two set pieces one of which was handed to them
Mourinho and his excuses! Lol same old! Be out by end of season with his 7th place finish! Lazio are the better side in Rome nowadays! Roma haven’t won a title since 2008!
The way he is talking about serie a….it is as if he’s the holy grail of knowledge, good football, and how the game should be played. what a condescending lowlife. no wonder he walked out of the press conference.
Love Him..
He is correct. How could Pelligrini be issued a red card and basically the same foul committed against Roma and no card?
The Special One
At least his press conferences encourage honest debate and full of trite platitudes.
At least he speaks his mind and does not allow public opinion or political correctness to require coaches to say much without saying anything.
@Vittorio honest debate? He didn’t mention the Ghost penalty they got but cries for the 1st. Name something that this penalty and Zaniolo being a father have in common? They’re both inexistent…
@Burky…
You obviously missed my point.
So, let me try again. What makes him credible pertaons to the fact that he speaks his mind about the matches in which he coaches.
Whether we as fans or members of the media or futballing “experts” agree or disagree with his assessments is irrelevant.
What remains revelevant is his willingness to state and publicly offer his assessments without using trite platitudes.
His approach and attitude reflects his honest asessments without catering to a culture of piltical correctness. As a result, discussions and debates occur more easily.
He is low life. Now he is not creative
He don’t know soccer I don’t know what world he is.
A man of such integrity! There was only one truly bad call in the match and it was the ridiculous penalty Roma received. Players are not required to clear space around somebody, it was Zaniolo who kicked Akpa. I think that Mou got to the ref when he pressured him during halftime, and the penalty was compensation. But in the play with Hysaj, Zaniolo just felt contact on his back and took a dive.
Pellegrini’s red may not have been right but that doesn’t mean Lucas should have been sent off. Refereeing doesn’t quite work like that.
The fact is, even with a huge favour from the ref, Roma was rather comfortably beaten. So Jose, really, cry me a river.
@Vittorio mate, again, there was NO penalty for Roma. Not the 1st nor 2nd.
1st was offside, 2nd Zaniolo should get at least a fine realy for that dive and if that isn’t a suspension than after diving, the celebration, being so happy He fooled the ref surely should earn it. But if the ones in charge have anything in common with you , serie A is dead. This was unsportsman, rude and nasty. Similarly for the coach. These two found themslefes. With the difference being Mourinho bad 1000 games as a coach so even less xcusable.
Here is a sth for you:Pedro Pedro Pedro Pe💙
Unbelievably how all this pseudpundits don’t found anything else to talk apart talking about Mourinho between all of you and Sarry that by the way always look like a beggar that not even knows what is a razor, how many titulos have you all won ? How do you even pretend to talk about the futebol knowledge of someone with 25 titles in 4 different countries where by the way he won the league , won cups and on top of that 2 champions league. Serious give a break and go play your fantasy football where you all must be really experts
And all the excuses you talking about it’s funny that since he left MU they didn’t won anything else and everything he said about the players there end up to happening to the new pseudo Messiah that took is place even after buying all the players that Mourinho always said they needed; and even more funny is that at Tottenham is happening exactly the same .the problem is the big clubs in England got use to Mourinho to make almost miracles and with the new generation of soft players that isn’t possible anymore because they spend more time on the floor pretending injuries that they spend playing and for sure they don’t play for the badge anymore but yes for the enormous wages they are pay and in most of the cases not deserve. So please let he do his work at Roma and by the end of the season we will see and then we can judge him
@Carlos Mota
You don’t judge the Derby after the season is over, the whole point is one of the two can be Champions and still loose to the team that say is mid table.
His achievements or failiures (you only point out the good, thats called bias by choice, or not, only you know) of the past do not matter when you are asking for a penalty, imply Lazio didn’t deserve the 2-0 lead and it should be 1-1. He ran away from the post-match press acting like He is the one disrespected by the Lazio policy of communication between press and coaches (keep the same energy Mourinho when half of the Serie A will tell you the same). What will he say than? Storm out ? If yes there are some hefty fines thatmight not financially hurt the Friedkins but it will get to them mentally. This is boiling up and the honeymoon is already over 6 games in, I wouldn’t be too confident if I were you.
He says VAR turned the derby, He is right, Roma should’ve never had a penalty in the 1st place and it is a disgrace that they got away with it and Mourinho even complains he didn’t get the 1st one where even Hysaj fouls, Zaniolo was offside.
You need to realise that the media does do clickbait, they do try to twist around stuff to gain views, however that has nothing to do with Jose moaning and becoming his oldself , manipulating referees and than still crying at the end. Conte could learn from him 😂
Ps:only because the snowflake part of players and certain achievements you don’t get a pass to conduct yourself the way he did and it will have consequences sooner or later.