Roma boss Jose Mourinho: “People don’t give enough credit to this team”

Roma boss Jose Mourinho believes that people don’t give enough credit to the current set of Giallorossi players.

The Roman giants picked up a compact 1-0 win over Verona yesterday and climbed back to third in the Serie A table, as a result. While Tammy Abraham had to go off quite early in the game and could be a doubt for the next game, Paulo Dybala was also not available and Lorenzo Pellegrini was also absent.

Ola Solbakken’s goal came in his first start in Serie A for the club and could be a vital moment in the season, considering the number of absences in the side.

In the post-game press conference, Mourinho stated that the players deserve more credit from the fans and the press.

“[It was] A deserved victory, five or six players had played in Austria, Karsdorp and Spinazzola hadn’t played for a long time, Bove played on plastic pitches until last year, Solbakken is getting to know the team tactically, Zalewski plays in all possible positions.

“El Shaarawy he is at the maximum of his physical possibilities. People don’t give the team everything it deserves. Belotti deserved the goal for the match he played, but I can’t be happier than that for the group. People don’t give enough credit to this team for what they are doing in these conditions. And if they don’t understand them, there are problems.”

Mourinho also stated that Roma fans at the Olimpico should praise and cheer for the players more, even if things aren’t always going right.

“You can’t boo a boy because he loses a ball. Someone like Bove should be carried in the arms of the fans, he loves Roma more than them. When I arrived, he was going on loan to Serie C, today he plays as a starter. When fans talk about our right-backs, whoever plays, they can’t always think of Cafu or Maicon. I don’t need nice words, but my players do. We won today with a small piece of the Curva. I have to be criticized, but I have to protect my boys because they deserve more.”

Mourinho hasn’t been too keen on speaking pre-games and post-games but this was a rare time when he was actually at a post-game press conference. 

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN