Mourinho left to rue refereeing once again

Jose Mourinho was left disappointed with the referee after Roma drew 2-2 with Bodo/Glimt on Thursday evening.

The Giallorossi came from behind twice to claim a draw at the Stadio Olimpico, as Stephan El Shaarawy and Roger Ibanez got themselves on the scoresheet.

Here's what the boss thought about the contest...

Was the final scoreline perhaps a bit harsh on Roma?

“Yes, I think so. We did not play brilliantly; we made a lot of mistakes over the course of the game. We didn’t have any issue in terms of options, but we made a lot of mistakes in the execution.

“Even in the first half, in the first phase of build-up play, every ball that came to Darboe and Veretout was lost. Ahead of them, Zaniolo and Abraham really struggled to control the ball and make their ability count. But, nevertheless, the reality is it finished 2-2 and we missed out on two stonewall penalties.

“People can talk about what they want – tactics, control – but the reality is it finished 2-2. They had two shots and scored two goals. We had I don’t know how many shots, and scored two goals. But we also had two clear penalties. That’s how it goes.

“I don’t have an issue with the referee. Nevertheless, perhaps in the Conference League they are not very good. Perhaps they are individuals who are just beginning their careers in European competition. But in the first meeting we lost 6-1 and I didn’t have one word to say about the referee, because that result depended on us and not him. But today, unfortunately, I have to say that once again we were denied two penalties. That’s too much.”

Can you make a few little tweaks, especially in attack, to give this side a different balance?

“That balance depends a bit on the players we have available. Today, without Matias Vina, I had an issue to resolve: who to play at left-back against a really good player [Ola Solbakken], who had a really great game in the first meeting and then today had one touch – because I gave the task to Ibanez - and scored an amazing goal.

“But then, if Ibanez plays at left-back, who moves into the centre? After the first meeting I felt I had to protect Kumbulla, because in that game he did not do well and today, with the way we wanted to play, it was not really going to suit him. So Cristante played at the back instead, and then Darboe and Villar played in midfield.

“When you talk about balance, sometimes you are talking about it in tactical terms and sometimes you are talking about it in terms of the qualities of the different players. I think back to the game against Milan; when they were in trouble and they wanted to change things in midfield, they brought on Bakayoko and Tonali.

“Today, though, I didn’t have those options. The team did well to control the danger in behind. Karsdorp played really high up the pitch, but Pellegrino on their left didn’t cause us any danger, and neither did Solbakken and Botheim. We built from a central three, the problem was further forward: Zaniolo, Tammy [Abraham] and Micki [Henrikh Mkhitaryan] did not do very well, making mistakes with their passing, their control, their decision-making. They aren’t in great form at the moment.

“So we struggled to score when we had plenty of opportunities to do so. But, I’ll say it again, I’m sorry but the officiating was pivotal. It was a tough game, having to come from behind twice, and the team worked hard until the end. We have seven points and now finishing top of the group does not depend just on us – but we are still in control of our own destiny to qualify when we face Zorya at home.”

You have won just one of the last six games, and Zaniolo and Abraham are not showing what they are capable of at the moment…

“It’s true. I agree with you. They aren’t scoring at the moment. The player who has scoring the most at the moment among all the attackers – including Shomurodov, who today did pretty well even if he’s not full of confidence at the minute – is Stephan El Shaarawy. That’s the reality.

“But you can also point out that we have lost out on points because of refereeing decisions. That’s pretty easy to do to. All you have to do is think back to the games against Juventus and AC Milan.”