Jose Mourinho criticised Roma for ‘giving the ball away so cheaply’ and was impressed with Vitesse in the Conference League, but joked Lazio are ‘home smoking with Maurizio Sarri’ to prepare for the derby.
The Giallorossi looked decidedly sluggish throughout the match, resting on the 1-0 first leg win until the sudden Maximilian Wittek screamer of a volley drew Vitesse level on aggregate.
It was going to extra time until Tammy Abraham popped up with a header from point-blank range in the final minute, sealing their 1-1 draw on the night and booking their place in the Europa Conference League quarter-final.
Conference League | Roma 1-1 Vitesse (2-1 agg): Last-gasp Abraham
“We expect more quality from everyone, not just Roma, but in the end someone goes home, someone goes into the draw, and fortunately we are the latter,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.
“This is a team with limitations at various levels, but if a few months ago everyone talked about us lacking determination, the ability to control a lead, the disaster against Juve, that we were winning 3-0 in Sofia and it ended 3-2, now people talk about our ability to resist pressure and score in the final minutes.
“It’s a trend at the moment, I think we’re now eight or nine games without defeat. I was glad that at 1-0 down, a situation of immense risk, a team might be tempted to wait and play extra time, but not us, we pushed to close the situation in regular time.
“I must also say, Vitesse are really good. There’s this tendency only to criticise, but I didn’t even know the name of their coach, he’s excellent! If a team plays like Vitesse, it’s because their coach is excellent!
“It’s not that we played badly, it’s that they played really well. They had players like Bakker who were moving right, left, centre, causing huge problems.
“Obviously, I am not happy that we played today with many players who will also have to be there on Sunday while tonight Lazio are home smoking cigarettes with Sarri, but it’s because Vitesse are really good!”
Mourinho was asked if Roma had made the mistake of aiming for a stalemate and rest on the laurels of the 1-0 first leg result.
“We never came into this to control the result or aim for a draw to get us through. We worked with one objective, preparing to go for victory. Up until their goal, which was fantastic, it had seemed to be if not under control, then with very few dangers.
“I told the lads at half-time, there are three things we need to worry about. The first is set plays, the second is they always have a defender without being pressed, the third is that we could be unbalanced when losing possession.
“The problem tonight was we lost the ball so cheaply, our strikers lost the ball every time. We didn’t manage a single time to say just give it here on my chest, and you go there. We lost the ball cheaply in midfield and with the wing-backs too.
“It was a bad performance on a technical level, it might seem tactical, but it was technical. We defended well and showed character, but we also pushed hard at the end with El Shaarawy as a third striker, not a wing-back.
“I don’t want to say we 100 per cent deserved to go through, but over the two legs did a little more.”
Roma were unable to rest hardly any of Mourinho’s first choice XI ahead of the Derby della Capitale with Lazio on Sunday.
“Now Sarri is at home smoking his cigarette while I go home trying to think how we can recover from this for Sunday.”
Who else but Tammy Abraham! 🤩
Roma leave it late to go ahead against Vitesse. A wonderful ball from El Shaarawy, squared by Karsdorp, and nodded home by the England international 💪
That’s 25 goal involvement in all comps this season 👏#UECL pic.twitter.com/Ry5lO0Y3JC
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 17, 2022
Pay attention folks, that’s how you set an excuse in advance. It’s all about set-ups and pay-offs!
Mourinho should teach a screenwriting course.
Mourinho is always blaming the quality and technical ability of his players, yet you’d think Roma has more quality and technical ability than Vitesse (especially after what we’ve spent this year).. so I agree with him, Vitesse (unlike Roma) is coached well.
Jose’s inability to rotate this team and to dominate weaker sides is far too concerning. I think Fonseca’s Roma would have made mince meat of these conference teams – opinion only
@Franco, the quick succession of games is of serious concern, the coach can only tell you what to do and nothing more, he won’t enter the pitch, would he?
Be patient, the players are getting to understand the mindset of the coach, it’s a gradual thing. I am sure Mou would come good eventually.
You’re looking for a fancy way of winning? you won’t get it from Mou, but you would eventually get success….which ever way!
Building a team takes patience.
The coach needs time to build.