Roma lost 2-0 away at Bologna in Serie A and the defeat cost them dearly, as they were robbed of a hard-fought top-four spot overnight and have now dropped to seventh in the league. Roma have been desperate to return to the Champions League, but their ambitions have been elusive, and the quality of the squad is clearly not enough to support their dreams. The 2-0 defeat also exposed Roma's three major shortcomings.
First of all, there is the lack of Dybala, and there is no one to organize the attack in the front;Secondly, Lukaku's importance is indispensable, and Roma have no other player who can score goals consistently;In the end, Roma's substitutes were poor, and Mourinho made five substitutions in a row in this game, but to no avail.
Without Dybala and Romelu Lukaku, Roma will not even be able to win against opponents like Bologna, which is clearly not in line with the level of performance expected of a team in the race for the top four. At the end of the day, the problem lies in Roma's lack of strength, which is the root cause of their defeat to their opponents.
Jose Mourinho was frustrated by the two goals he had conceded, one of which was scored on a counter-attack and the other by his own player. The two superstars of Dybala and Romelu Lukaku have proven to represent almost the entire Roma team, without whom Roma simply would have no other player capable of scoring.
It will take some time for the injured Dybala to return, while Romelu Lukaku's suspension is coming to an end, and there is hope that his return will improve Roma's attacking situation. At the moment, Roma are only three points behind fourth-placed Bologna, and the gap between the two sides is not large.
However, Roma will next face Napoli and Juventus respectively, and if they lose both games, the consequences will be dire, and Roma will inevitably be pulled away by their opponents in front of them, and it will be very difficult to catch up. Faced with such a predicament, Mourinho has no intention of evading responsibility. After the game, the Portuguese coach publicly expressed his desire to renew his contract with the team.
However, Roma have been hesitant, and it is worth mentioning that Mourinho's contract will expire next summer, and there is only half a year left to go, but Roma has not given a clear action. Clearly, the Serie A powerhouse is still on the sidelines, and they will be hoping to see the results of this season before deciding whether to keep Mourinho. If Roma are unable to secure a top-four finish and fail to win the Europa League, they are likely to opt for a change of manager.
However, Roma need to note that Mourinho's patience is limited and the possibility of Mourinho changing his mind cannot be ignored if they continue to delay their decision. Now that Mourinho has kicked the 'ball' to the Friedkin family, it will be interesting to see how the Roma boss will respond to this challenge.