Lorenzo Pellegrini set Roma on their way to victory against Empoli one day after signing his new contract with the club.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan joined in the celebration to wrap up a 2-0 win for Roma before the international break.
In the process, Jose Mourinho broke the record for the longest unbeaten home run in Serie A, across his spells with Inter and Roma.
Here’s how he reflected on the match in his interview with DAZN.
On the performance and overall form
“We played well, solid and compact. We were in control against a team that plays good football and 15 points from seven rounds is a good tally”
On what he told Nicolo Zaniolo after taking him off
“I told him this is how you need to react to a moment of sadness. He expected to be in the Italy squad. I respect Roberto Mancini’s decision and Nico respected it too. He has been playing well and if he continues to play like this, he will be called up. He’s in good shape, also tries to defend even when he’s tired. I really liked his performance.”
On Pellegrini
“Pellegrini is in constant movement, connecting the midfield to the attack. They tried to man-mark him today, but it didn’t work.”
On finding emotional balance in the Roman environment
“I always said we just need to win the next and it seems to me that people are learning. We know the difference between us and the teams that finished above Roma in recent years.”
On his younger options and rivals’ squad depth
“I accepted a different project from all the ones I took on in my career, but I really like this situation and I’m happy to give playing time to [Ebrima] Darboe, [Riccardo] Calafiori and [Nicola] Zalewski. I look at Inter and see them bring Edin Dzeko and Arturo Vidal off the bench. People have to understand this is our journey. I was calm after the four wins and I am calm after the derby defeat. I know the fans are behind us.”
Show your support by following Giallorossi Yorkshire on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to the monthly newsletter.
Leave a Reply