Jose Mourinho admits he is ‘not exactly famous for being humble’ and takes the compliments for Roma’s 1-1 Conference League draw at Leicester City. ‘Fans happy this tie will be decided at the Stadio Olimpico.’
The Giallorossi had taken the lead at the King Power Stadium through Lorenzo Pellegrini’s strike, but Ademola Lookman bundled over the line from close range for the equaliser.
Conference League | Leicester City 1-1 Roma: Solid first leg result
The away goals rule has been abolished in Europe this season, so whoever wins at the Stadio Olimpico on May 5 will go through to the Final in Tirana.
The assist for the Pellegrini goal was provided by teenage Roma youth product Nicola Zalewski.
“Zalewski joined the Roma academy at 9-10 years old, so to see him play at this level is wonderful,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.
“We lost the ball too easily, it became impossible to go on the counter, we didn’t do that very well. We remained organised, when the energy levels were high we managed to press and play the way we wanted to, but as time wore on we lost intensity, got too deep and it become difficult.
“I am sure that any Roma fans watching would’ve been happy to know this tie will be decided at the Stadio Olimpico. I know even with 70,000 fans in the stadium and even more outside, it’s still going to be tricky.
“Now we’ve got Bologna on Sunday in Serie A, a team that play very well and win. Unlike Leicester, we have to focus on Serie A and trying to get fifth place, whereas they have no chance of qualifying for Europe.
“We need to forget the semi-final for three days and put all our focus on Bologna.”
Mourinho was asked how he plans to approach the second leg against Leicester City with home advantage at the Olimpico.
“I need to consider, analyse and also forget, because finishing fifth or sixth is different in Serie A. We want to be sure of playing the Europa League next season, we cannot wait to see if we win the Conference League first.
“Leicester attack the space, they did that all the way from the Claudio Ranieri era. Now they try to build a bit more from the back, but they still sit deep and go on the counter when away from home, they have many options to come off the bench and provide fresh legs.
“We must play with our heads more than our hearts. OK, it is the 14th Conference League game, if we win, we are in the Final. It’s about the mind more than anything else.”
When Mourinho was told this performance already showed great maturity from Roma that they didn’t have before his arrival, the Special One gladly accepted the compliment.
“I am not exactly famous for being humble, so I have to agree! If we’d played this five or six months ago, we absolutely would’ve lost. We had the courage to play the way we played at the start, pressing high with Zaniolo and Tammy, but when you don’t have the ball, it’s tough to resist.
“Our defenders stopped attacking in front of them and sat in place, we conceded a goal that was avoidable, but the result is acceptable.”
“I think the game was too good to be Conference League!” 😅
José Mourinho praises his team’s performance in a close first leg against Leicester. They take a draw back to Rome 💪
🎙️ @JeffBrazier #UECL pic.twitter.com/ZWHMVEiyGb
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 28, 2022