The defeat against Sevilla came at the wrong time. It happened at a time when AS Roma and Jose Mourinho himself desperately needed the title
“Mourinho sees Roma as a way to get back into the big clubs,” journalist James Horncastle told Football Daily. “Mourinho always wants to win wherever he goes. At AS Roma, Jose probably thinks so too, unless the club starts to change strategy, spending more money if the club cannot win the title. enemy”.
Where can Mourinho go?
The day before the Europa League final, sitting in front of a large number of reporters in the press conference room, Mourinho said: “I only think about how to win the championship. Then, whatever the result, me and Roma will forever be together.”
24 hours later, when AS Roma lost to Sevilla, Mourinho changed his tune. In the sharing of this military leader, he did not utter a word to promise to continue to stick with the team.
“I want to stay at Roma, but the players deserve more. Me too,” said the Portuguese strategist.
Mourinho probably wants to leave the club. But where will he go? PSG has not shown any specific signs of wanting to recruit the Portuguese military leader. More importantly, the loss to Sevilla caused the “Special One” to break a big plan. The ticket to return to the famous clubs with him is in danger of being swept away.
AS Roma lost to Sevilla, Mourinho lost the Europa League title. At this point, the 60-year-old captain faced skepticism. Is he really out of time? A difficult question.
When the former Manchester United captain can still help the home team achieve success, such as bringing AS Roma the UEFA Conference League trophy, or reaching the Europa League final this season, removing the “Special Person” name from the game will is a big mistake.
But one thing is for sure, Mourinho’s football is standing out of the flow of the times. It becomes too old. This is the time when clubs have switched to playing in possession and putting pressure on high. Man City, Liverpool, Bayern Munich or even Brighton are playing like that.
Independent believes that Mourinho’s military career began to decline after being sacked by Manchester United. From being expected to help the team conquer big titles, Mourinho is now only hoping to bring home a place in the Champions League. From Tottenham to AS Roma, all see the Champions League as their biggest ambition.
It is not difficult to see Mourinho’s position declining a lot in recent times. The ranking of the “Special One” is no longer in the “elite” group (temporarily called the top) like Carlo Ancelotti, Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel,… With Mourinho, the last time he conquered the Champions League League was more than 13 years ago, with Inter Milan.
In Serie A this season, Roma continues to not be able to finish in the top 4. The play of the team is left behind by the big names – the teams play the philosophy of imposing control of the game. Meanwhile, Mourinho’s football makes fans feel that “the team does everything to avoid losing rather than being excited about winning”.
This approach is outdated. Roma has little development in terms of offensive construction. That’s why the team relies so much on individual moments of brilliance, like Paulo Dybala’s finish that tore through Feyenoord’s net.
On a good day, in the European Cup, Mourinho’s philosophy can work. However, in front of an experienced and brave opponent, that weapon became harmless. In other words, players do not always have a moment of ecstasy, such as Zinedine Zidane’s volley against Bayer Leverkusen, the “lightning” masterpiece performed by Gareth Bale.
Fate called Mourinho’s name in the nights when everyone thought his team failed. It was 90 minutes at Camp Nou 13 years ago, the stadium that saw Inter Milan with 10 men on the field and only 19% possession of the ball still did not succumb to Barca with a too strong score in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final. . That day, Inter Milan under Mourinho lost 0-1, but still won the final 3-2 after two matches.
Or most recently, Mourinho’s teachers and students won the right to the Europa League final thanks to a 1-0 victory after two matches against Bayer Leverkusen. Worth mentioning, in the semi-final second leg at BayArena (Germany), the Serie A representative had exactly one shot and did not hit the target. Homeowner Leverkusen controlled the ball to 71.6%, made 23 shots, of which 6 times the ball hit the target, 1 time touched the bar but could not find a goal.
Mourinho’s career might be over without winning the Conference League last year with AS Roma. And the fans should have found the answer to the question “Is Mourinho out of time or not”, if AS Roma were eliminated early in the Europa League.
However, Mourinho still proves that the football that many players have labeled “dark” or “disgusting” still has value. This makes the “Special One” still have a place in the coaching village.
On Hungarian soil, under the bright lights of the Puskás Arena, all dreamed of the day when Mourinho returned to glory after Dybala opened the scoring. For a moment, the best that ever helped Mourinho create the brand appeared.
That plan suddenly fell through. Mancini’s home goal, Chris Smalling’s header hit the crossbar in second time, and Yassine Bounou’s brilliant penalty kick changed the game. AS Roma lost the match, lost the Europa League title.
As for Mourinho, he lost the most precious thing, which is the recognition of the current level. The factor that could bring him back to PSG or even Real Madrid.
Should Mourinho stay at Roma?
Many fans want that. However, they are not the deciding factor in the future of the 60-year-old strategist – who always complains to the team’s leadership about the quality of the AS Roma squad not being strong enough to compete with the big names.
Before the Europa League final, Gazzetta dello Sport reported that the AS Roma leadership will meet with Mourinho in the near future, to assess the team’s situation. It is certain that the “Special One” will want to buy many new recruits during the summer transfer window if he stays at the club.
However, AS Roma is not a rich team like Man City or PSG. They also missed the opportunity to win the gold mine as a place to attend the Champions League, the playground that will bring the clubs attractive money.
According to UEFA rules, the team participating in the Champions League group stage will receive a sum of 12 million euros. In addition, each victory in the group stage brings the club 1.5 million euros, and a draw is half a million euros. The deeper the team, the more money the team will receive.
In the summer of 2021, Mourinho went to Roma and the club immediately spent 100 million euros to strengthen the force. In the last two transfer windows, that figure has dropped to 7 million euros. Roma ends the 2021-22 financial year with a record loss of 219 million euros. These statistics point to a harsh truth that perhaps Mourinho will not like. It is difficult for him to meet the transfer needs of the board this summer.
The Roma squad is not too degraded. But even with Dybala, Andrea Belotti, Georginio Wijnaldum, … in the squad, the club still failed to win tickets to the Champions League. So what ensures the betel nut color team continues to perform convincingly next season? Is Mourinho’s talent enough to do that?
Experts believe it is. In fact, only time will tell. Overall, Mourinho had little choice but to lose to Sevilla in the Europa League final.