Roma suffered one of their worst ever results in Europe by losing 6-1 to Bodo/Glimt on Thursday in the Europa Conference League.
The hosts were a class above in Norway and even the introduction of more senior players by Mourinho did not have the desired effect – rather the opposite.
The coach had plenty to say after the defeat. Here are five of his key comments.
On who takes responsibility
“I do. I decided to put out the side I did. It’s my responsibility. Obviously I did it with good intentions in mind, for two main reasons. From one side, I wanted to give a chance to those players who have been working really hard but have not had much chance to play. From the other side, considering the squad we have and all the games we have to play, I wanted to rest some of the players that have played in pretty much every game. On an artificial pitch, in weather conditions like these, I decided to rotate a lot of players. Then, we lost to a side that was better than us. It’s simple. The Bodo first team is better than the one that started the game for us.”
On his usual starters
“Look, if I could always play with the same guys then I would. But I think that if I did that I would be taking some big risks, because there is a big difference in the quality between one group of players and another. And in a group stage match like this, when there are six games and we already have six points with two more games to come in Rome, I decided to make the changes I did. I knew the limits of some of our players, it’s nothing new, but obviously I expected more of a response. But as the decision was mine, so it is me that has to take responsibility.”
On how many players he trusts
“I’ve never hidden from the fact that I knew the squad had its limitations: the first-team of 12 or 13 is one thing and then the others are another. The only positive thing now is that no-one will ask me why I always pick the same players.”
On how he would explain it to the board
“I will explain things as I normally would, with some things I’ve already said in private. Things I said even before losing 6-1. It’s not losing 6-1 that will make me say something publicly to you guys that I have already said privately to the relevant people. I will try to ensure these things continue to remain behind closed doors as much as possible, without getting out.”
On the upcoming clash with Napoli
“You can’t have any slip-ups, yet you can always slip up. That’s football. But our main team, if we call it that, is playing well and deserves to have more points than we do right now. They are playing well with the right attitude. So on Sunday we will go out with that same attitude again. But obviously with the weight of this defeat on our shoulders, a historic defeat I would say.”
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