Shop
Let's start by talking about the goalscoring chances which came Roma’s way. You didn’t get many, but had the players been more clinical you could’ve come away with all three points. Are you happy despite picking up only a draw?
“Let’s start with a question from me (Mourinho addresses the DAZN studio, ed.). Did you show as many replays for the passage of play involving Mady Camara as you did for when Jose Luis Palomino took down Paulo Dybala?”
(DAZN studio responds, ed.) Our studio referee Luca Marelli was in charge of all of the analysis.
“Yes, but there were ten replays. I hope that you spent as long looking at the Palomino and Dybala incident.”
Marelli said that it only merited a yellow card.
“OK, thanks. It was a fair booking. He goes towards the ball but in an aggressive manner. It’s the right decision, there didn’t need to be as many replays though. I’m really proud of how we performed. Whether a 15-year-old lad or a player from Roma Femminile plays our professionalism, heart and soul and unity stays the same.
“Our approach doesn’t falter. While the quality of the players may vary the principles are consistent. There are some individuals I’d like to mention. Mile Svilar and Filippo Missori made their Roma bows, and Benjamin Tahirovic featured, who previously hadn’t started many games for us. Overall we played really well against a great Bologna who are well-coached by Thiago Motta.”
Have many fans given up hope of qualifying for the Champions League by finishing in the top four?
“The fans should pay heed to my words. When we were flitting between second and third in the league for many weeks I was constantly saying that we should take things game by game. This is because when the fixtures started building up we wouldn’t have the resources to go all the way in both competitions.
“It’s not like we made a choice between Serie A and the Europa League, it’s been a case by case basis. That’s always been our approach. I’ve been saying this for the last two to three months.”
How important is Thursday’s match?
“We’ve had a great campaign. You can say what you want and draw your conclusions from how it all ends, whether we reach the final or not, whether we finish fourth or seventh. However the lads have pushed themselves to their limits overall this season. For that I have no complaints. Today was a tough match against a well-organised side. We picked up a point and weren’t under the cosh, in fact Andrea Belotti had a great chance to make it 1-0 and we weren’t awarded a clear penalty. The lads did great.”
Are Roma going into Thursday’s game in good shape? Will you be welcoming back more players for the second leg?
“Gini Wijnaldum is fully back in the fold. We agreed to give him just over an hour of game but I took him off earlier because when Mehmet Celik got injured I thought it better to do all three substitutions at once. So, Gini is fit but there are doubts over Celik. There are massive questions marks over Paulo’s participation.”
Did Daniele Orsato tell you anything about that incident in the penalty area involving Charalampos Lykogiannis' arm colliding with Roger Ibanez?
“No, not a word.”
How does it make you feel when you see the likes of Dejan Stankovic, Xavi Hernandez and Thiago Motta in management, players whom you coached yourself?
“It’s moving. It shows that time flies, they’ve grown up, just as my children have. It also shows that I’ve still got the quality to be here after so many years in the game. People might get bored of the likes of me and Carlo Ancelotti but we’re still standing.”
Imperium Partners
Centurion Partners
