Roma drew 1-1 in Group G of the UEFA Europa League 2023 24 in the fifth round against the underdogs Servette FC of Switzerland.
Roma are currently overtaken by Czech Republic side Prague, Yugoslavia, to finish second in the group. If Yugoslavia loses to Servette in the sixth round against FC Sharif in Moldova, the ranking will be reversed.
Roma's athletic strength is not too good. In the 22nd minute of the first half, Romelu Lukaku's left-footed shot was not ** blasted and created the first goal. However, in the fifth minute of the second half, Servette striker Chris Bedia scored with a right-footed shot through Roma's goal to equalize 1-1.
Roma combined for 61 per cent possession in both halves, which was simply one-sided. However, Servete's counter-attack was rewarded with a good chance to open the scoring. While there is a big difference between the two teams in terms of possession percentage, the total number of shots on goal is exactly the same at 13. That said, if Servette's shot had been more effective, Roma could have lost instead.
In such a situation, Mourinho kept complaining after the game.
British public radio released an interview with Mourinho on the 1st. He criticised the Roma players: "The players who don't have much experience in European confrontations play loosely in terms of tempo. ”
Then he said, "I don't understand. The Champions League stage, which is much more important than the Europa League, has also coached more than 150 games, but for me it is necessary to be motivated in the Europa League.
But in Mourinho's eyes, the players seem to be lacking in motivation. "There are players who are concentrating and playing 90 minutes, but there are also players who are not in form to play like this," he said. "I don't have to name names. ”
Mourinho said that Roma finished second in the group and that playing a playoff match against a team that was not selected in the Champions League is not a big "disaster", but that he must be blamed for "missing the opportunity to get three points in Switzerland".
Mourinho then said: "We became number two (immersed in emotions), this is not making a film. He was calm about the possibility of finishing second, saying: "Anyway, that's because the movie was treated with the same attitude every day by several contestants, and the opportunity was missed. "Especially when you have the advantage to go into the second half and get an equaliser," he said to the players.
In addition, "there is no price here" and "the Manchester City manager would have paid the price if Pep Guardiola had been." If he doesn't like a player, you can send him away and take another player with him. ”
But Roma can't compare to Manchester City in terms of finances. Mourinho said: "There is no such option here. It's just the coach who keeps making adjustments, training the players, and trying to pick the best out of the players. ”
Mourinho said: "Roma is a dream team full of good players and people with professionalism. "It's an intrinsic problem. You can't just feel comfortable", urges the players to wake up.
Mourinho's contract with Roma will end at the end of the season. With no rumours of a contract extension for the manager and the team, it has been reported that Jose Mourinho may remain in the position of Real Madrid manager based on the future of current Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.