Rudi Voller had high praise for Jose Mourinho and his Roma side and he gave some advice to a struggling Tammy Abraham.
The Giallorossi have had an inconsistent start to the season, picking up a win over Inter but suffering frustrating losses to Ludogorets, Real Betis and Udinese. Abraham has not managed to prove as prolific this season as he did during his debut campaign and has only netted two goals in 10 games across all competitions.
Speaking via Corriere dello Sport, Voller first gave his thoughts on this current Roma side.
“I haven’t stop supporting them. The victory against Inter was exciting for the fans and put the team back in a good position in the standings. They have a very good chance of at least making it to the Champions League spots.
“The beauty of Italian football is that right now there is no Bayern Munich that is superior to all the others, here there are five-six teams that can fight for the Scudetto.
“Roma must now aim for fourth place, then once they’ve stabilised and found their balance they’ll be able to think about even more important objectives.”
He was impressed with the Giallorossi’s acquisition of Paulo Dybala.
“He’s one of the most important signings in Roma’s history. The fans were waiting for a big hit and he arrived. Magnificent. And he is fulfilling expectations, I hope he can continue like this and not have any physical problems.
“The ones that pushed Juventus to let him go. If Paulo is physically well, he can be devastating with that exceptional left foot.”
The 1990 World Cup winner gave some advice to a goal-hungry Abraham.
“He must believe in himself. Never stop having faith in his abilities because these moments happen to all strikers, even the strongest ones. Then comes the match when you score a hat-trick and everything changes, especially in your head.
“The important thing is to always remain focused on the tasks and duties, even if he doesn’t score, Abraham must continue to work for the team, give everything on the pitch.”
He spoke about legendary Roma coach Nils Liedholm, who guided the club to their second ever Scudetto in the 1982-83 season.
“An exceptional coach and a wonderful person, who you fell in love with immediately. The Baron was always in a good mood, he loved his players and always put them before everything. And they loved him very much.”
Finally, Voller discussed coach Mourinho and compared him to Liedholm.
“Mourinho for Roma is the Liedholm of this time, of this football. He is very close to the Baron’s style, but also to his character. Ice cold on the outside, but warm with his players. Ready to do anything to defend them and to finish his job.
“His passion for the Roma fans is also similar to Liedholm’s. Mou is a footballing great, he opted for this new challenge and was immediately rewarded with a trophy. Roma loves him, and does well.”
Voller spent five years of his career with Roma, from 1987 to 1992, where he scored 68 goals in 198 games.