Jose Mourinho spoke to the media at his pre-match press conference on Saturday for the following day’s game between Salernitana and Roma.
With the transfer window still open and the season getting into a rhythm, Mourinho was asked about a range of topics.
Here are five key areas of discussion.
On Salernitana
“It will be the first time we play against five at the back. It’s a different way, we will go to all games to win, I don’t care if it’s the newly promoted or the Italian champions. For this reason, we must look for solutions from an attacking point of view. They defend well, they keep many players behind the ball, the work of the three or four in midfield… it will be tough.”
On Borja Mayoral, after rumours of Real Madrid recalling him due to lack of gametime
“I’m counting on him. We need three forwards. Two forwards are too big a risk for a whole season, sometimes we want to play with two. There are games in the Conference League on Thursday, travelling. He’s a quality player, he has adapted well, has scored goals, works well, he’s a professional. No, I wouldn’t like him to leave.”
On the possibility of changing formation
“We can do everything. Surely, with different dynamics, but this team played last year with five or three at the back. That’s also one thing we can do, we can play how we are playing now, or we can change, in modern football it’s very difficult for a team to only have one way of playing. It has to be more diverse, not fixed.”
On Pedro’s move to Lazio, in comparison to other excluded players who haven’t left yet
“It’s a situation that’s not easy to comment on. There are players of different profiles and who have people around them with different profiles. If I have to talk about Pedro, he clearly wanted to play. For this reason he must be respected, even if he chose a rival club in the same city. Professionalism and way of being must still be respected. This is the perfect profile for all clubs. Someone really wants to play, others prefer other things than playing.”
On Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Juventus for Manchester United and its implications on the title race
“The only thing I say and it seems basic and logical to me, if Juve are happy, if Cristiano is happy and United are happy, then it’s the perfect business. There’s no need to talk about Cristiano. For 20 years he has written history, there’s nothing to comment. Scudetto? That’s a question for Simone Inzaghi, not for me.”
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