Mourinho: I know Salernitana will make it really tough

Ahead of Roma's opening match against Salernitana on Sunday night (kick-off: 20:45 CEST), here's everything boss had to say...

Carlo Ancelotti has said that AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus are ahead in the title race, with Roma the fourth favourites at this point. What do you make of that?

“Carlo Ancelotti is Carlo Ancelotti. He knows everything about football, he knows everything about this job we do, he knows a lot about this club and this city – and obviously he knows everything about Serie A. His words should always be listened to and respected. Then, of course, you can always agree or disagree with some things he says. But Carlo is nonetheless Carlo.”

Now the transfer window is nearly over, has the summer frustration you mentioned been overcome?

“First and foremost, the transfer window is not over – unfortunately. I say unfortunately, because it’s something I have not liked for a long time now; starting the season and playing three or four games before the window even closes. So it seems to me that it would be premature to make any assessments now. I think it’s better to wait.

“However, it seems obvious to me that, considering we have brought in five players for seven million euros, five players of the quality we have for that much money … then it seems obvious to me that the market has been handled very, very well. But to make assessments now when the market is still open, both for incomings and outgoings, would be premature. It’s better to wait.”

But has that frustration you mentioned a month ago now gone for you…

“Frustration was perhaps too strong a word to use in that moment. Because the truth is that we have brought in five useful players that improve our squad. Obviously we have also lost two players that were important for us: Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jordan Veretout. Micki was a starter and Veretout, even if it wasn’t the case all season, was one of the 12 or 13 most used players.

“We have brought in four outfield players and a great young goalkeeper. So frustration was too much. I should instead speak about great satisfaction, because these five players I really like. I said, ‘Yes, go for it’ when they were mentioned, because obviously none of the five would have been brought by the club and by the General Manager if I was not happy with it.

“That doesn't happen. We have a relationship that prevents that sort of thing happening. So it’s impossible to talk about frustration. Instead, they have to be applauded: we’ve got five players in for seven million euros and that’s fantastic.

“But if you then ask me if I still need a little more in order to have the best possible balance to the squad, and perhaps a bit more of a chance to go through the season without worrying about different scenarios, then I would have to say that we still need something. But in terms of these five players, of this level, I can only applaud the work done by the General Manager and the club.”

Watching pre-season, the squad seems very combative – even sometimes ready to brawl. In your opinion is that a good thing or something you want to correct?

“I have not seen anything like that. I have only seen a squad made up of focused lads, who have worked as hard as possible from the very first day. All of the friendlies were played with the target of improving and being competitive. But there was not one brawl.”

Historically speaking you have done better in your second season at clubs than in the first. Why do you think that is – and how can you do better here at Roma?

“Usually the second season means you’ve had more time to work on things, it means there’s a better understanding of what we are, what players we have, what the opponents are capable of. When you change country, which I have done a lot up until now, you also understand the culture of the game a bit better, the philosophies and potential of other teams. And that does not just go for me, but all coaches: in the second season there are the conditions in place to do better.

“The truth is that this season, in Europe, in order to do better we need to win the Europa League. And in the Europa League there are squads that have an economic strength that just can’t be compared – it’s as different as Earth is from Mars. There are teams that spend 100 or 150 million euros every season. But we will go into the Europa League and play our game, trying to do the best we possibly can.

“In the league we finished sixth. Right now, I can say that our squad is better. But other teams have got better too. That’s why, during this period where I haven’t had to speak to you guys, I have been amazed about the way some of you talk about us in a way you don’t talk about other teams, saying that Roma is a candidate for the title. I can only understand that there must be 18 titles available, because only Sampdoria and Lecce have spent less than us this summer. So, if there were 18 titles, for all of those teams who have spent more than us as well, then I would understand it.

“Milan and Inter, just to give you an example, finished 23 and 21 points ahead of us and have also improved their teams. So why are we considered Scudetto candidates? It doesn’t seem the case to me.

“There’s a lot of talk about us because we played well against Tottenham, because we had a great night against Shakhtar Donetsk. There’s talk about us and silence around others. Lazio have spent 39 million – are they Scudetto challengers? If they are then, okay, you can talk about us too. But pitching us as contenders seems to me you are selling something that is not real, something that’s not based on what we are doing.

“We’ve already won our title, which is the love of the fans: playing a friendly in front of a sold-out stadium, with the passion that was there, the feeling that was there, the confidence that was there. That’s our title.

“We have never talked about it, we have always said that this is a project and there is time. We are not the sort of club to make massive investments. It’s been 13 months, now it’s the first month of the second season. I can understand someone like Ancelotti. But Ancelotti does not sell smoke. Ancelotti coaches the biggest club in the world and he wins. He doesn’t sell false goods. There are many others who do, who sell smoke and stories but not the truth.

“The truth is that we have improved our squad compared to last season and we want to do better than last season, especially in the league. We finished sixth. But, let’s be calm, let’s leave us to work and let’s talk about Salernitana – because it feels like you are ignoring a tough game tomorrow.”

Have you thought about returning to the back-four at all? Either way, is something changing tactically about this side?

“The back four is something that you need to work on. And what we have done, especially during the second half of last season, is focus our work on the three-man defence, which was better suited to the characteristics of our players.

“Our centre-backs feel more comfortable in a three. Our full-backs, especially those who played last season in Rick Karsdorp and Nicola Zalewski, are much more expressive in a three-man defence, with them playing the wings. And that’s why we went in the direction we did.

“This season we obviously have the possibility to play in a back four, but we need to work on it first. Because we are a club where, to make a transformation like that, you need time to work on things, because we cannot do things like every team in England or a few in Italy – which is, when you want to change, you go out and buy the players for it. We can’t do that. To play in a four-man defence, we have to work with the players we have.

“Last year there was one thing that I really didn’t like: usually, when we were ahead, it seemed like we wanted to just manage the situation. A few times we managed, a few times we didn’t. Sometimes you need to know your ability and your potential, and sometimes you need to use that to drive home your advantage – because any game where you only have a small lead is still wide open.

“Let’s see how the squad develops. We have a few limitations and I don’t want to hide that. But, at the same time, we have potential; we have a group of players where their main quality is playing with the ball, creating openings, and that’s why I hope that we can be a team capable of playing both ways.

“Sometimes, yes, we want to be able to manage games and ensure things don’t happen like they did sometimes last season, like for example when we lost at home to Juventus. But then on the other hand, we want to be able to show our strength, dominate and feel that we can kill off matches at the first opportunity.”

What sort of game are you expecting tomorrow?

“First of all, I want to congratulate a coach [Davide Nicola] who, when it comes time to choose the Manager of the Year, will be the one I vote for. He had an incredible half-season – the team was in real trouble and he was able to do what he did. First and foremost, congratulations to Mister Nicola on that achievement.

“And then, as always at the start of a new season – whether you are at home or away – I am expecting an exciting game, a tough game and one that will be tough to control. Often emotion can get the better of you and you starting thinking that we’ve been working for two months just for this day. But it’s not true, we have spent these last two months getting ready for the next 10 months.

“It will be a tough game, at a tough place to play, against a club that was spent something like 14 million euros to bring in 10 players. Salernitana have become a really good side. So that’s why I look at this game not just with the same focus as ever, but with the knowledge that it is going to be a tough one for us.”