Mourinho: We always had control, we defended very well

Jose Mourinho was in an expansive mood in the wake of Roma's 2-0 win over Fiorentina on Sunday evening.

Paulo Dybala scored twice - both assisted by Tammy Abraham - as the Giallorossi picked up a valuable three points at the Stadio Olimpico.

Here's what Mourinho had to say about the game...

You seemed to be sat in the dugout for much of the game…

“I was a bit worried about red cards: it’s happened a few times that I go out on the touchline with a bit too much emotion and I use a few harsh words. I am not a saint but I do get a bit worried - I don’t like to be suspended.”

What sort of game was it tonight, in your opinion?

“It was a tough game, Fiorentina are a really good side. Even last season when they went down to 10 men it was a tough game: they have a good coach, they have good players from a technical perspective, who knew how to keep the ball and manage the game. With the quality we have we defended well, we were in control, we didn’t get into much difficulty.

“But I would have liked to see a bit more quality, I would have liked to see a few more players who wanted to get on the ball. In terms of the tactical organisation and the mentality I can only say good things, but we need a bit more confidence on the ball. We play with the quality we have and we do our best.”

Could that additional quality arrive in the January transfer market?

“I am not expecting anyone. The General Manager has been clear and honest. He said things, during an interview, that normally a coach does not like to hear…”

What did you not like?

“Coaches want to hear that there is a lot of money available and that a lot of players will be bought – to make an incredible squad of players. That’s the dream for any coach. I have coached at clubs without any limits, but that is not our club. We are working with the quality that we have at our disposal.

"After the break we have now played three games at home, the fact we have not conceded a goal in any of them means we have a chance to win – because we don’t score a lot.”

But you knew Roma was going to be a different club to those you have coached before…

“I don’t want to talk about this too much. I’ll just say that it’s a lie the suggestion that my relationship with Tiago Pinto is bad. I don’t have any problem with him. There is a real honesty between us. And you can’t be critical of anyone who is honest.”

What did you make of the defensive efforts tonight? Can the team improve at passing out from the back?

“At least there is not a camera on me all the time to watch my reactions. As I said before: we play with the quality that we have. Some coaches can play great football, others less so. We try to find a balance between the qualities we have, the issues we have, and the results we are able to get. We were up against a great side, with great players, who are coached by someone who I have a lot of time for. When you have an extra man you usually have more of the ball; we controlled the game but without possession. We did that because we were very well organised defensively.

“Bove was like a dog out there – he’s one who runs, who moves the ball, who puts in a lot of hard work. He’s learning a lot, he’s really smart, and I’m really happy with him. Zalewski, Volpato and Tahirovic too.

“Marash Kumbulla is a true pro; if you want to talk about a pecking order then right now he’s the fourth centre-back but he’s played two great games in a row. A side that plays with three at the back but only has four centre-backs is often going to get into difficulty, but Marash did really well tonight with Ibanez out. Marash always seems to respond well, whoever is out. He works really hard and can play well even if he’s not playing often.”

Were you most dangerous when Tammy ran in behind? Is Dybala your difference maker?

“Even though you haven’t asked, I’ll tell you something about Paulo that is probably worth knowing. Dybala asked to come back on January 1 originally, and I said to him that it would be difficult to beat Bologna in our first game back without him – but that we really needed to. I told him I wanted him back on the 29th. He called me to say he would leave straight away, on the 27th, to be back to train on the 28th. That’s Paulo, he’s a special boy.

“As far as Tammy goes I liked his runs in behind. I also liked what Nemanja Matic did, he moved the ball around well when he came on. A word for Pellegrini as well; he gritted his teeth to play and he gave everything he had. We didn’t know if he was going to make it this morning, so we thank him for that.”

Where can Roma find the improvements they need to on the ball, to continue to improve?

“By bringing through the young kids. Tahirovic has that quality, but he needs time to improve. He needs minutes; he started against Bologna, he played 30 minutes at the San Siro, he played today as well. He’s an example of player that can help the team improve, because he has that quality in the middle of the park.

“Among the four defenders, we will find one that has a better idea of how to move the ball. To tell you the truth, I think Kumbulla is the one that does that the best, but from a defensive perspective at the moment the real animal is Ibanez – because he is very, very quick and eats anything that comes into his area of the pitch. We need to find different solutions. We cannot buy Mudryk for 100 million.”

Could one option be to change the formation?

“No, because there are a lot of players who can’t play with a back four. We need to hide our issues and not allow the other teams to expose them.”