José Mourinho is overwhelmed before the meeting with Bodø / Glimt, but acknowledges that Roma fans will not say thank you with only grateful words.
ROME (Nettavisen): Despite the fact that Roma have fewer points than at the same time the two previous seasons, fans’ confidence in José Mourinho seems to be unshakable – so far.
The Portuguese’s entry into the Italian capital has created a new buzz around the traditional club, which has not won a trophy in the last 13 years.
Also read: Reveals Mourinho rage at Asmpyra: – Some of you had not even been allowed to play in Norway
On Wednesday, 35,000 tickets were sold for the Europa Conference League meeting with Bodø / Glimt, and around 40,000 spectators are expected at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday.
José Mourinho is apparently overwhelmed by the support from the fans before the meeting with Glimt.
See Mourinho’s reaction to ticket sales before the meeting with Glimt here:
– Incredible! The support is absolutely incredible. All we can do is thank them. Since the first match we could play with them in the stands again, their support has grown and grown, says Mourinho.
The veteran coach knows that he has to stay on the good side with the fans in the eternal city, something his statements constantly bear the mark of.
After this weekend’s 1-2 defeat for AC Milan, Mourinho was fined 10,000 euros for “ironic attitude” to referee Fabio Maresca. It’s a small price to pay for the Portuguese, all the time it probably makes him even more popular with fans in curva sud.
The post probably also posted on Instagram the day before the meeting with Glimt. The Roma boss refused to answer questions about referees and controversial situations in Serie A at the press conference on Wednesday. A few hours later, however, it turned out that he had something on his mind.
Mourinho posted two pictures of almost identical penalty situations. One picture shows the penalty Rome’s Jordan Veretout burned against Juventus, and the other picture shows the penalty Paulo Dybala missed for Juventus against Zenit. Both pictures show defenders inside the penalty area when the penalty is taken, but only Dybala was allowed to take his penalty again.
“One penalty had to be taken again, one did not have to. Guess which », writes Mourinho, who thus fires up under the narrative that Rome is treated unfairly by the judges.
Expert positive for Mourinho’s Roma start
ESPN’s football expert Gabriele Marcotti believes José Mourinho, despite the fact that Roma have only taken one point together in the big matches against Juventus, Napoli and AC Milan, has had a positive start at the club.
– I actually think what he has achieved with Roma this season has been good. He has brought in new players, plays a different type of football than his predecessor Fonseca, generates a lot of enthusiasm among the fans and has gained momentum on players like Mkhitaryan again, Marcotti tells Nettavisen.
However, Marcotti warns that comments which de Mourinho brought against his own players after the embarrassing 1-6 defeat in Bodø, may harm the Portuguese in the long run.
– I wonder if statements like the ones he made in Bodø will reinforce the stereotypes around him, Marcotti says.
Knutsen expects tougher resistance
A few hours before José Mourinho received the press at Trigoria, Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen presented a press conference before the team’s training at the Stadio Olimpico. The Bergen native feels confident that Mourinho and Roma will come up with a different approach to this match than the team did in Bodø.
– Rome will want to dominate the match, just like us. Our ability to defend ourselves and take care of the ball becomes important. I call it dominating. It is a truth with modifications, but it is still an important ingredient in our game, says Knutsen to Nettavisen.
Knutsen says he and the team are well prepared and have seen Roma’s matches against Napoli, Cagliari and AC Milan, which have been played after the first meeting with Glimt. In those matches, Roma picked up four points.
– They received quite harsh criticism for the way the match in Bodø was conducted. They are probably not quite where they want to be, but they have a top crew and are probably 100 percent sharpened. It is a team that has a certain percentage extra, compared to what we met at Aspmyra, says Knutsen.
On Wednesday night, Bodø / Glimt’s press manager Niklas Aune Johnsen announces that 1,500 tickets have been sold for the away field at Stadio Olimpico before Thursday’s match.
–
