Jakarta –
Chris Smalling admitted that he was surprised when he found out AS Roma lift Jose Mourinho as a coach. The two are known to not get along well enough while in school Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho was appointed AS Roma coach on May 4, replacing his compatriot, Paulo Fonseca. He was in the vacant position after being sacked by Tottenham Hotspur the previous month.
Roma moved quietly to get Mourinho’s signature. Previous rumors have directed them more towards Maurizio Sarri or Maximiliano Allegri.
For Chris Smalling, the appointment was even more surprising. Because he was previously suspected of having a not good enough relationship with the Portuguese man.
Mourinho once criticized Smalling for not being able to control the ball. That way, it was difficult for Manchester United to build attacks from behind.
“It was a bit of a surprise for most of us, but there was an initial enthusiasm from everyone. I knew the media would bring up something about our past relationship. But from a personal point of view, this is a good thing because I’ve played under him,” he said. Chris Smalling quoted BBC.
“We’ve won trophies together. He made me captain in one of those finals — the 2017 Premier League Cup — too. So to have the chance to play under someone you know is great, he’s been very successful so far and so being persistent to win trophies in various ways is a positive thing.”
“I know how much it means to bring any trophy to this club. Jose’s history shows that the club has chosen the perfect person to make it happen,” added the England defender.
Smalling insists he never had a problem with Mourinho. For him, a manager’s criticism of his players is normal.
“In the end, if the manager doesn’t talk about you and doesn’t want you to play and try, that’s when you have to worry because he has stopped caring about you. He doesn’t want you involved and doesn’t want you to play.”
“He was born a champion. He likes to push everyone to the limit. That’s what he has done throughout his career and it has paid off,” said Smalling.
Watch Videos”Prediction of Juventus VS Roma with JCI Medan and Indoroma“
[Gambas:Video 20detik]
(raw/aff)
– .
