ROME TRABZONSPOR MOURINHO PRESS CONFERENCE – Second act of the Conference League playoffs. There Roma, fresh from the 2-1 first leg victory, is preparing to face tomorrow the return match against Trabzonspor of Bruno Peres and Gervinho, at the Olympic Stadium at 7 pm. Today, in the meantime, the Giallorossi coach Jose Mourinho intervened in the usual press conference on the eve to present the challenge. These are his words:
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Mourinho’s press conference
I think in the end there will be more extra time than before. There is a winner and now there will be more extra time. The setting? It changes a little but not a lot, because our goal is to play to win, regardless of the result. We know we just need a draw. But if we are drawing in the 80th minute we don’t have to take any risks. But we have to play as if it were a one-off game. That’s why it won’t change much.
Corriere dello Sport: “Does this team have ample room for improvement?”
Sure, a lot. I congratulated Italiano, because we have been working with our players for two months. When his team gets to play the way they played, they deserved compliments. Maybe Inter is different because Inzaghi has a team that plays with their eyes closed. For us it is more difficult. There is a lot to improve and a lot to work on. Even today we trained on a game situation that I didn’t like against Fiorentina, where the boys have the dynamic to do that way because they used to do it that way. This is not a criticism of Paulo (Fonseca, ed). Quite the contrary. Everyone has our ideas. Italian and I and others are at a time when players are looking for automatic situations. First they have to understand what we want and then they have to train and in the end it will be automatic. There is a lot to improve, so I’m happy with what we did, because it was difficult to do better. From the defensive point of view it is easier to improve the dynamics, from the offensive point of view it takes more time. First impact with the fans very well. We have to create this empathy with the way we play. If sometimes you can’t play well I think the fans will accept a negative performance, they will be with the team after a negative result. However, there are non-negotiable things, and I think that the fans understand the interpretation of the attitude, the way to be professional and play not only for us and for them. We have to create this empathy. The relationship will be a consequence of how we are on the pitch and how we are dedicated to this club. It is our responsibility. We don’t have to ask the fans for anything, they will give what they think is right.
La Gazzetta dello Sport: “What does it tell us about Pellegrini’s role?”
Pellegrini can do everything. If we had three, all three would play. He can do it all, even in 10 he created that situation where Tammy hit the post. Lorenzo is intelligent, he understands the game, the coach’s idea.
Corriere della Sera: “Is it time to make a turnover?”
We need to play. In the first summer games I gave everyone minutes. We need to play. If we have players who have a recent history of injuries they need to be checked and careful. But others need minutes on the pitch to find intensity of play and natural pace of play. Now is not the time for turnover.
Il Messaggero: “What role does Diawara play in his Rome and if he wants to comment on the episode?”
It is not an episode of physical aggression, but of words that provoked a small reaction. It is not a drama, nothing special. The role he has… he is a player of our squad. As you know there is a group that is not working with us, which works separately. Diawara stays with us. The market is open, something can happen but it could also stay. If it stays it’s an option. He is a player with experience and quality, a professional and a good man who has a good relationship with everyone. He’s a great guy, if he stays it’s a plus, not a problem. We are calm.
The Romanista: “Do you think it right that there is no VAr and what changes in the preparation of the match?”
We have to adapt a little. I still think, maybe I’m wrong, that Trabzonspor’s goal of the first leg was offside. Tomorrow we will have goal line technology, it is already an improvement. I understand the difficulty of UEFA, it is a new competition, with many teams from countries where they do not have the appropriate technology. It must be accepted as a competition that must grow and make the countries that are part of this competition grow. We weren’t lucky with the draw, he is one of the strongest opponents. If I’m not mistaken, the final will have the Var. Let’s see if we get there.
Do you think that even in Rome you will be forced into a ‘fort’ or is there a new Mourinho?
The “enemy” is Trabzonspor, on Sunday it will be Salernitana. We are not in a position to say this is our goal and these will be our 2-3 enemies. We are a growing team that needs to be developed. We are in a position to say that we want to try to win every game. The focus will always be on the next match. Tomorrow is more important than Sunday now. This is why I don’t think about so many changes. because for us tomorrow is the game.
