Roma coach Jose Mourinho asks for a ‘strong mentality’ from his players ahead of the match against Bologna and admitted he will evaluate Chris Smalling tomorrow. ‘We must manage the situation’.

The Giallorossi have turned things around with three consecutive wins and clean sheets across Serie A and the Conference League.

But there’s no time to rest, as Mourinho’s men immediately prepare for another important game in the league and must cope without captain Lorenzo Pellegrini and midfielder Bryan Cristante.

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“We need a strong mentality,” Mourinho said at a press conference. “An emphatic group that wants to do well.

“The credit is for the players who don’t play a lot. As in the case of [Amadou] Diawara, who still worked hard during the week despite playing little.

“They play with the determination and friendship that is needed. Like [Marash] Kumbulla, who comes in to play for a minute but stopped a dangerous situation, took a yellow card and threw himself into the opponent’s free kick.

“He marked a giant like Milinkovic and comes out happy because he did a lot. On a tactical level, then it’s up to me to find a solution.”

Roma sit three points behind Atalanta at fourth and hope to take advantage of any possible setbacks for the teams above them in the table.

“They are there for a reason. The league is not a highway: there can be suspensions, injuries or whatever,” Mourinho said. “Atalanta and Milan were there last year and they are there now.

Napoli are the same. They are there for a reason. If we can be close instead of far away, it’s obviously better and very motivating.

“If we are seven points away instead of 30, it gives you a different feeling. It means that we are working in a positive way.”

Stephan El Shaarawy has shown his versatility when asked to play at left wing-back, but Mourinho might need to try him at right too.

“I don’t, because we haven’t tried it,” Mourinho said. “But if there’s a difficult moment, he would play there too, because now he’s confident.

“He’s growing, he’s doing very well and if he has to play at right, he will do it. It’s true that we have [Matias] Vina back at left, and we can have Stephan in a more attacking position, or, as you say, as an option to [Rick] Karsdorp.”

Chris Smalling returned with three minutes against Genoa on November 21 and played the full 90 minutes in the 1-0 win over Torino last weekend.

But Mourinho is not sure if he wants to risk anything by overworking the 32-year-old, who recently missed five league games due to a hamstring injury.

“He’s important for us, but we have Kumbulla, [Gianluca] Mancini and [Roger] Ibanez. There are no problems now,” Mourinho added. “It’s not a situation where I need him on the pitch.

“We will decide tomorrow, but we must manage the situation. The player’s opinion will also be important.

“Technology can help, if he tells me that he feels great, he plays. If he tells me that he feels 99 per cent and not 100 per cent, then I’ll protect him.”

Mourinho might have to return to a two-man midfield against Bologna, as Cristante is still positive for coronavirus.

Roma: Cristante still positive for COVID

Pellegrini has also been ruled out with an injury for the rest of the year, but Mourinho refused to give up on recovering Cristante or Gonzalo Villar.

“Let’s see if we will have Cristante and Villar, or one of the two,” Mourinho said. “We are still waiting, it’s still possible, 13 to 14 days have passed.

“The players have no symptoms for many days, almost from the beginning. They are training well at home, but with our remote control. We are waiting to see if they can play.”

Mourinho’s men have kept six clean sheets in the league and three in the Conference League this term and the coach praised his Portuguese compatriot Rui Patricio, who arrived from Wolverhampton.

“Rui Patricio is important,” Mourinho said. “The numbers are important, but the team is more important.

“When the team plays well and defends as a group, it’s easier for him too. Then there are times when the team cannot manage everything, and the goalkeeper can make a difference.

“Rui hasn’t had much to do in these games, but we are very happy with him.”

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