Mourinho: "The three points mean a lot to me"

Here’s what coach Jose Mourinho had to say about this great Giallorossi win!

Are you pleased with today’s performance?

“I’m pleased. I think that in the first half, when it was 11 against 11, we were frustrated to be drawing because we’d created openings and had had two clear-cut chances, so I think 0-0 was harsh on us. At the start of the second half, of course, when a team is down to ten men, they’re going to find it tough.

We scored and maybe for ten or 15 minutes, we didn’t have the ambition to raise the intensity and quality in our attacking play to try to score and win. During that phase, even though they were a man down, they had more possession and they pushed forward without creating any real danger. They did apply some pressure and when you’re not in good form, anything can happen when it’s 1-0.

We then made changes. We sent on [Ola] Solbakken, who was fresher, could cover more ground and play with more intensity and when Paulo [Dybala] came on, we had more possession again. The second and third goals then came, but they don’t mean that much to me. What means a lot to me is the three points for a side that had lost the previous two games and needed the points.”

Among the positives tonight is the performance by Gini Wijnaldum, not so much for the goal and runs, but also what he brings in terms of quality in the middle. Does he improve the team’s level?

“That’s Borja’s comment (NB Mourinho is jokingly referring to Borja Valero in the DAZN studio), as he was a midfielder and he sees himself in Wijnaldum’s role. I had a feeling that these types of performances were on the way from Gini.

I don’t really like talking about individuals, but the one who really pleased me because he’s been evolving gradually, while showing patience, staying calm and being professional as he waited for his time is Diego Llorente, who I think played really well with Chris [Smalling] in a back four which isn’t the norm for us.

The fact that the two of them didn’t get called up on international duty meant that they got to train together for two weeks. As a coach, Llorente’s performance struck me much more than Wijnaldum’s, but of course Gini played really well. It was a Borja-like performance!”

Do you think that playing with a back four could be an option from now until the end of the season and will you return to a back three when everyone is available again?

“We’ll see. It depends on the opposition and the players we have available. As coach, I usually intend to send out the players I feel are best. For this reason, when people talked about playing [Zeki] Celik today in a back three, I asked myself if he could do it given that he doesn’t play there and has never played at centre-back. Would that be a justified option? We thought against it. What I really liked about Diego is that he’s better on the ball than some of our centre-backs, who are good in other areas of the game. Diego is the one who wants the ball the most and that means he can bring the ball out more to build the play. I really enjoyed his performance because he was focused defensively. I think there was only one little thing between him and [Leonardo] Spinazzola when [Mehdi] Leris got in behind, but I’m not sure if he was offside or not anyway. When he’s on the ball, he always stays calm and always tries to pick out a free player between the lines. I really liked his performance.”

At Universita Pontificia, you said that there’s a “great community” at Roma. After [Jeison] Murillo was sent off, there were some chants in the crowd. Out of respect for the community, would you tell the Curva it’s time to stop?

“The Curva watched me with respect. Sometimes there are demonstrations by the fans, sometimes there are things that are part of the circus, which is the match itself. Sometimes it’s not the true reflection of what people think or feel. I’ve been insulted thousands of times by packed-out stadiums. I’ve been in these types of situations and have had to put up a protective wall around myself. Deki [Stankovic] is a great guy who’s certainly done the same. At home there are families, children and friends to think about, so it’s not a nice thing. The Roma fans understood straight away that there’s no space for such displays at our home ground and I thank them for making Roma come out of this game as a great club.”

The Friedkins were at the stadium tonight. Do you feel it’s time for a meeting to discuss the future of Roma and your own future?

“It’s their club! They can come whenever they wish, whenever they decide to come and whenever they are able to. I work for them, so I mustn’t comment on this. I’m pleased they came and if they enjoyed themselves, even more so. If they go home happy with the result and the usual emotional display by the Roma fans, I’m pleased for them.”

Will you speak at the end of the season or before?

“About what? The next game? We’ll speak about that next week.”