Mourinho: The new arrivals give us more options and better balance

Jose Mourinho faced the media on Saturday afternoon, as he previewed Sunday's Serie A meeting with Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico.

Here's everything the Portuguese had to say at Trigoria...

It feels like this game is going to be much more of a test than the league table might initially suggest. What do you think?

“I agree with you. Their league position is what it is right now, but I don’t think they will be there at the end of the season. They are a team with a lot of experience, with a really good coach, and now they have found a way to pick up points; they’ve taken six from the last two games. They will be coming to Rome to pick up more.

“If I remember correctly they beat Lazio at the Olimpico during what was otherwise a difficult period for them. So that shows they have the ability to go up against the ‘better’ sides and do well.

“Clearly for us it is an important game. We have lost the last two games and we have only taken one point from the last three. Four points from the last four games would still not be good enough for us, but that’s the best we can aim for right now. We want to forget about those last three games and focus on this one. We have spent all week working on the issues as we have.

“As you can imagine, after losing a game in the manner we did, it’s not just about the work we put in but also about the way we rebound, the way we motivate ourselves and make sure we have the courage to attack the next game. The fans won’t be there, because with 5,000 supporters allowed it will feel like the stadium is empty. I’m sorry for the players because of that, but I’m even more disappointed for the fans who want to come, who always come, and this time can’t come. We will try to turn that into extra motivation for us, in the sense that we want to produce a performance especially for those who can’t be there with us.”

Can Sergio Oliveira become an option for you as the deepest midfield player? And, furthermore, what about penalties: so far this season the team has missed three out of four. Could Oliveira become the regular penalty taker?

“I haven’t thought about that, that’s something we still need to decide. Let’s see. We have worked on a lot of things this week but we haven’t discussed penalties.

“We’ve tried to help Sergio and Ainsley Maintland-Niles pick up a few more of the tactical elements of the team. But not just to them; also to some of the players who have been working with us for six months and are still not close to perfecting things from a tactical standpoint.

“In terms of your first question, let me just say that I never thought it would be possible to get a player like Sergio on loan. His was not a name I had brought up, because I know what are parameters are for the January transfer window and I know what Sergio is worth and, given he was with Porto who are fighting for the league and the Europa League, I did not think it would be possible. So when Tiago Pinto told me that the deal was possible, obviously I immediately said yes. But not just because he is, as you like to say in Italy, a ‘regista’ or because he is a central midfielder that could improve a lot of teams from an organisational standpoint. That’s not what Sergio is.

“Sergio is a different sort of player, he’s a player with the sort of character and know-how that we need. He’s come through the ranks at a club where I know the mentality really, really well and I immediately felt that with that character and the way he is out on the pitch he could be a valuable player for us.

“Beyond that, he is a multi-functional player – he can arrive late into the box, he can shoot from distance, he’s got plenty of experience and he will improve our squad. With the transfer approach we have, we are trying to improve the group step-by-step and improve the amount of options we have. That’s why I think the window has been positive for us: we’ve picked up two players early on, considering the window closes on January 31, and that means Tiago Pinto deserves credit. We’ve picked up two players who really improve our options.

“For seven months we’ve been playing with just one right-back. Whenever Rick Karsdorp had an issue it was a big problem for us. Now, with Maitland-Niles, if Karsdorp isn’t available like he wasn’t against Juventus then it isn’t an issue for us. Maitland-Niles can also play left-back, he can also help out in a midfield three. Sergio, meanwhile, in every formation can play every midfield position – he’s not a regista, who can sit in front of the defence, but everything else he can do. So given the limits we are working within it’s great to improve our options a little bit.

“These two players have given us more balance. With six months of competition ahead of us, where we want to go as far as we can, having these two players who help us out in areas where we didn’t have many options is really important.”

What can you tell us about Stephan El Shaarawy’s fitness?

“I was kind to you guys by doing this press conference at 2pm, but that means I can’t give you the same answers I could perhaps do at 7pm. El Shaarawy hasn’t trained with us at all this week. Let’s see if he trains later today. If he does, then he will be on the bench tomorrow.

“We’ll have to see, because we don’t have a lot of options. I doubt we will have the usual 12 players on the bench – we might have three, four or five players from the Primavera. So if one like Stephan becomes available to us at the last minute they will definitely make the bench. But I am not confident about it.”

Can you tell us who else is out?

“I can’t say that, I can just say the ones that haven’t trained with us. One of the reasons why we are training at 5pm today is to give a bit more time to a few players, to see how things look after treatment this morning. You already know the players that are suspended. Beyond that we will have to see when it comes to Stephan El Shaarawy, Chris Smalling and Rick Karsdorp – they haven’t trained with the team this week, so we will see what happens today.”

Jordan Veretout doesn’t seem to have been at his best recently. Why do you think that is?

“Look, if cast your eye over our squad and the number of games and minutes played, in reality there are 14 or 15 players that have played in pretty much all the games and some who have played pretty much every minute. Those players have become really important for us.

“In normal circumstances, no player should be that important. Until last week I would have said that Karsdorp was utterly indispensable for us – but today I can say that is no longer the case. So the better the squad becomes, the greater the number of options you have are, then the less important each individual player becomes in the overall scheme of things.

“So with Cristante, Oliveira, Pellegrini, Veretout and Bove – who little by little is getting there – along with Mkhitaryan, who we have turned into a central midfielder in this system, now we are pretty balanced in that area and we can allow players to rest occasionally and not have to play every single game and every single minute.

“Veretout will always be an important player for us, because he’s a quality player, but I would have to agree with you that in the last few games he has not been as good as we know he can be. But he is always going to be important for us.”

With the two signings made already, is that it for January transfer business? Does the squad still have a few holes?

“I’m happy, because I know what sort of business we can do this month. I realise the effort the club has gone to and I am thankful for the work they and the General Manager have done in order to improve the squad.

“Because I am an intelligent guy and I have the right perspective, I think we’ve done well given the options we have and the position we were in. Right now the transfer market is difficult even for those teams who have lots and lots of money to spend. So you can imagine what it is like for us, given the sustainable way we need to operate.

“But to get two players on loan in January, who are ready to play now, we have managed to find two ways to improve the group. Sergio can play in all three midfield positions. Maitland-Niles can play both full-back roles and wider in a midfield three as well.

“If we think about Riccardo Calafiori, Borja Mayoral and Gonzalo Villar and how much they have played so far this season, swapping those three for Sergio and Maitland-Niles and the amount they will now play is an improvement for us.

“Am I expecting another arrival? No, I’m not expecting that. I think we’ve done what we were capable of doing. The General Manager has worked fast, has got them sorted as quickly as possible. It’s the 15th today and we have two players. So in that sense I’m pleased with how it’s gone.”

Could Leonardo Spinazzola be back in action soon? And a tactical question: it seems when the team doesn’t have the ball the two sitting central midfielders get dragged towards the ball a lot. Is that something you are asking them to do?

“I ask them to do the exact opposite of what they have been doing. When you play with two deeper, I want them to apply pressure either side of the ball and cover on the diagonal the other midfield player. Even when we press up the pitch, as we did against Juventus, the pressing is one thing and then the shape we take when we have to drop in is another. So one player presses the ball and another has to cover on the diagonal. Dybala’s goal in that game was the second time that had happened and it was the only two chances they had in that first half. So what the team did was the opposite of what we work on. But players can make mistakes.

“As for Spinazzola, first and foremost I would like to know which genius decided to say in August that he would be back in action by November. They were crazy, and if he said it himself then he is crazy – and probably got carried away by what others were telling him, trying to boost his morale.

“It was a really bad injury, one there was no chance of him being back from by November. So we need to stay calm. From the day it happened I essentially considered Spinazzola to not be available to me all season. We will play until May, and so if he rejoins the squad at any time before that then I will be very happy. That will be a bonus. Because it was a serious injury and recovering from something like that is never a straightforward process. It’s complicated.

“So, that’s why I am calm about it. He suffers a bit but every day I speak to him I tell him that he is one day closer to being back. I understand your question but we want to keep calm with his rehabilitation and make sure the right approach is taken.”

What do you think the players made of your comments after the Juventus game? And how do you work with them to improve the mentality of the group after a game like that?

“I think they took it well. In the sense that obviously it is difficult to avoid hearing or reading it but, for good guys who want to get better and for those who believe in me and the experience I have, they are always open and positive when we speak.

“Because everything I say to the press I say to them in private as well. Obviously with them I go into more depth about different aspects. And that’s what we did after the game. I feel like they want to improve; they are not soft-skinned or resistant to criticism. That’s why I’ve always said I enjoy coaching this group, even during the difficult moments.

“The players are open to learn. The mentality issue is obvious to everyone. But, to pick out just one example of our issues: during that period where we conceded three goals we gave away just one foul. If I was on the pitch, I would have committed four fouls on my own. So we are a bit naïve in that sense.

“Sergio [Oliveira] knows a lot of us but when you aren’t inside the group you don’t understand everything that happens. He talked about the quality players here but even some of the most experienced ones he mentioned aren’t even 30. They are still learning too. So it takes time, and it takes patience.”

The result erased 70 great minutes from the team. So what did you focus on this week?

“You are right, it did. To the outside, though, but not inside Trigoria: it erased it for the fans, for the press, but for those of us who worked so hard in the week leading up to that game we can’t forget about those 70 minutes. We need to remember them and focus on the good things we did.

“Actually, during the meeting we had after that game, for 35 of the 45 minutes we spent on it we analysed the 70 minutes we did well. We did a lot of good things that we shouldn’t forget about. You guys can, and the fans can – the result is the most important thing and at the end of the day the pain we feel is because of the result. But for 70 minutes we did a lot of good things: the pressing, the possession play, the attitude.

“Whenever the team did something wrong we took a look at it. For all three of those goals in seven minutes we made mistakes. For their second goal, I said at the time that Eldor Shomurodov didn’t close down – but there was also a chance to get the second ball too. But you can imagine how hard it is to keep going over this game.

“As far as Cagliari goes, I know their coach [Walter Mazzarri] well and he knows me well. We know they are a good side that will come here to try and get a point. Sometimes, though, you come for one point and you pick up all three. We know it won’t be easy.

“But we are ready for a team that will try and play in that way. They need to keep picking up points to achieve their target, but we need them as well. With or without the fans there we are ready to take those points, in whatever way required.”