Sassuolo-Rome: the eve in the words of Mourinho

José Mourinho expects more from his Rome. On the eve of the match against Sassuolo, what worries the coach is not so much the defeat in the derby or the bad moment of the singles, but the “comfort zone” on which the team seems to have settled after the magical night lived last May in Tirana : “There are people from whom I expected more. I am not satisfied with the involution of some players and I cannot hide it. But I will not name the names. What we need to improve is the acceptance of a different challenge than last year’s challenge. Growth in mentality, responsibility or ambition. We must not be satisfied that we have reached that level and we must try to go further. I’m talking about everyone. If I had been satisfied with my career in 2010 I would have stopped. The players have to ask for more of themselves ”.

No punishment

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The knockout with Lazio left its mark “we haven’t smiled for two days”, but no reprimand against Ibanez, author of the mistake that cost the game. The coach defends the Brazilian with a sword: “The only player I can confirm for tomorrow is Ibanez. He will play plus 10 more. Respect is needed for those who, from the day I arrived until today, have given everything he has even in difficulties. Last year we had a period where he was the only central defender. This year in Seville he played when he was sick, he always gives everything. He wins and loses together. He is untouchable ”.

Too many injuries

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The three defeats arrived at the Olimpico against Atalanta, Napoli and Lazio came without Paulo Dybala on the pitch. One of the many injuries of the Giallorossi squad: “Dybala has missed many games, the big matches, he played with Inter and we won, with Juventus he served an assist. Without him we have lost three ”. In addition to the absence of Joya, the coach also underlines Pellegrini’s non-optimal conditions: “Lorenzo is our multifunctional man, he is the other player who knows how to turn on the light. He plays too much, he is in trouble, he plays every minute of all the games. We always try to fight our problems but we cannot hide that we have problems ”. But the regret also concerns the players sold in the summer and the conditions of Wijnaldum: “We lost 3 starting players in midfield Mkhitaryan, Veretout and Sergio Oliveira. Wijnaldum has not played a game, the other two are Camara who has arrived on the last day of the market and is growing little by little. He is improving but still looking for the way. Matic did not come to pair with Cristante and often finds himself playing with him in midfield ”.

Personal decision

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The Special One also dwells on the choice of Volpato. The Giallorossi baby who decided to close the door to Australia – who offered him the World Cup – to wait for the call-up in blue: “It’s a personal and not a corporate issue. This is the beginning of his career, he is playing with Roma in his first consecutive minutes. Not once in a while. He is in a growing process where he has to focus on building on his future. Without thinking about accelerating a process that must not be accelerated “.

Responsibility

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On the other hand, Tammy Abraham’s response to the moment passed through is deliberately nebulous. The Englishman is struggling – and not a little – to find the condition that last season had allowed him to score 27 goals in league and cup: “What’s wrong? Tammy should be asked. He is the ideal person to say if he has a problem or if he is thinking about the World Cup or if he is distracted or not. You have to wait for his conference to ask him this question ”.