AS Roma 2-0 Empoli: The 2-0 victory over Empoli was no reason for Jose Mourinho to be happy. The AS Roma coach ran completely empty at the press conference afterwards in response to some boos in the Stadio Olimpico.
Earlier this month, Roma fans also whistled the out of favor Nicolò Zaniolo. Then Mourinho still defended his player. On Saturday evening there were some discord in the stadium again, although it concerned a small group. The reason was not entirely clear, because Roma simply won its home game against Empoli through early goals from defender Roger Ibañez and striker Tammy Abraham. The Giallorossi are therefore provisionally third in Serie A.
Mourinho is therefore very satisfied with the current position of Roma, given the limited possibilities in his view. “The competition is a marathon and the teams that can continue even with injuries will finish the marathon better. For us, every injury, every suspension, every dip in form is a big problem. We are capable of great things, but it becomes more difficult when we play three games in a week. Some don’t understand that, but that’s normal,” Mourinho remarked.
Mourinho’s criticism
Mourinho seemed to aim at the dissatisfied fans. Not for the first time in his time at Roma, the Portuguese trainer pointed out that he does not have the wide selection that other top clubs do have. He mentioned, “There are trainers who can automatically make two substitutions in the sixtieth minute and two more in the 75th minute. I can’t do that, I have to weigh everything carefully. Some don’t realize the sacrifices Lorenzo Pellegrini (captain) makes by playing in his current condition.”
Mourinho says that out of 60,000 spectators, a group of twenty to fifty fans expressed their dissatisfaction. “We have 40 points, which I think is an exceptionally high number. Some may think not and that we should have been at the top with Napoli, but I think this is an excellent number of points,” said The Special One , who stood up for his players after the cup match against Cremonese earlier this week .
This time, Mourinho expressed his frustrations at the lack of opportunities in the transfer market. “We couldn’t buy Mady Camara to replace Georginio Wijnaldum, he was hired. And Solbakken (Ola winter purchase, ed.) Doesn’t understand our tactics as well as the other players. He doesn’t understand the difference between 5-3-2 and 3-4-1-2, he still has to learn how to put high pressure. That boy has quality, but he can’t just replace another player without consequences for the team,” he concluded.
