Il Corriere dello Sport praises José Mourinho following Roma‘s 1-0 win over Juventus on Sunday: ‘Only a fool or a genius would face the Bianconeri the way he did.’
The Portuguese coach surprisingly dropped Tammy Abraham for Sunday’s match with the Old Lady, starting Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Georgino Wijnaldum up front.
Read more – BARZAGLI EXPLAINS MOURINHO’S ‘STRANGE’ DYBALA DECISION IN ROMA-JUVENTUS
“Only a fool or a genius would face Juventus the way he did,” wrote Il Corriere dello Sport editor Ivan Zazzaroni on Monday.
“He won it with a minimum margin, ending the match with two strikers on the pitch, perhaps to ease the pressure on the defence and remain inside the opposing’s box as long as possible.
“Only a fool or a genius invest in a team whose tactical legitimacy is tied to the final result. If you win, people would say you are a genius, but if you lose, they’d say you are an idiot for at least a week.
“Mourinho who once played Samuel Eto’o as a wing-back in Barcelona, wanted to face Juventus in his way. He was also a little lucky but earned three vital points. It wasn’t easy to get back on track after the loss t Cremonese, especially hosting Juventus.
“I was surprised by the starting XI and even more by the substitutions he didn’t do during the break. Mourinho didn’t abandon his original idea and he was proved right after the eventual winner by Gianluca Mancini.”