Roma will face Genoa at 22:00 tonight, before the start of this game, Roma coach Mourinho held a routine pre-match press conference, at which Mourinho answered eight questions from reporters, and frankly said that it is very important for the team to compete for four.
What are your expectations for tomorrow's match against Genoa? Will Lorenzo Pellegrini be in the squad?
Mourinho said: "Pellegrini will not be in the squad, he is not ready to play (injured). As far as genoa is concerned, obviously they know how to play. They changed managers and the squad changed a lot. They have a lot of options in terms of squads, they play against Udinese, a lot of new signings don't play, so I don't know much about them. But, for us, there's a very favorable factor, and that's that we're at home, and in our fans get free of charge, we get two consecutive wins. In league games, it is very important for us to score three consecutive points. Obviously, we've studied their game against Udinese and we've got something out of that study, but we still need to focus on ourselves. Now that the fans are back on the pitch, we have to guarantee a win. 】
Is Zaniolo the player you've been following? What are your thoughts on Pinto's remarks this week? (Say uncertain about Zaniolo's future)
Mourinho said: "My opinion is that Pinto's remarks are completely correct. He was always very honest and he could hardly say who would stay 100 percent. We need some mature players. Maturity is our key word, but it is also an important word for you. As a club, we are showing our maturity. Pinto's remarks have been taken out of context by you, and I don't think it's necessary to make a headline about an honest statement. To end your question, I just want to say that I am very happy with this transfer window and I am very happy because we are better now than on December 31st. We lost four players who didn't have many playing opportunities, and two new signings played more than the four of them. That's why I'm happy. Going back to Zaniolo's question, my goal is to make the team better with every transfer window, and he ultimately depends on the owner of the team. Zagnolo was our player until 2024. Can I end the press conference here? I answered all your questions in one sitting. 】
Considering that you will also have to play Inter in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday, how difficult is it to prepare for tomorrow's game?
Mourinho said: "We haven't thought about the match against Inter yet, we haven't analysed inter even a minute, not even analysts have analyzed inter because we're only focused on this game now.] After the game is accepted, we have two days to analyze the game, the game will end around 5 pm next summer, and around 7 pm I will go with my analysts to analyze the Inter game. However, so far we haven't thought about the game against Inter because tomorrow's game is too important for us and we are focused on tomorrow's game. 】
Viña has returned, but he doesn't have much time to rest, but you won't have much to worry about him!
Mourinho said: "He didn't come back for a long time, but he didn't play in the national team. Sometimes, he would play three games in 15 days, sometimes he would come back with an injury, but this time he came back without playing, but he was happy because his national team made it to the World Cup. We now have more options and that's what we wanted before the transfer window opened. Now we have Casdorp and Niles at right-back and Binia and Niles at left-back. And we have three games a week, so they all have chances. 】
Can Pellegrini play against Inter? Against Empoli, you choose a three-back line-up, and when Pellegrini returns, do you think he will play with Niles and Oliveira in midfield?
Mourinho said: "In Milan, we have Veletto, Pellegrini and Mkhitaryan paired, Oliveira is more flexible than Veletto, but Veletto can adapt to many different positions. Considering our future promotions, it's clear that we need some players of different abilities, a midfield organiser, and right now we don't have that kind of player. But we have our options, we can use Veletto, Pellegrini and even Bowen to form a midfielder. Back to your question, we can have three midfielders play together or we can play in a double striker lineup. When you work with a team longer, they can better understand their abilities and can have more different ways of playing. Back to your first question, Pellegrini can come back on Tuesday, yesterday he trained and today he practiced with us. 】
For Roma, which is more important, qualifying for the Champions League or winning a trophy? And there's also the question, you post drone videos on INS and then come and inform the players of their problems, how important do you think this new way of training is?
Mourinho said: "I still think that the best way to win the game is to have the best players. But, obviously beyond that, I believe the training method can add something else. That's why I'm a manager, otherwise I'd be happy to be a director, or I'd buy a 5% stake in a club and become a shareholder or whatever. As for another question, I would say it's hard. In the league we will give our all, unless theoretically we can't compete for four, we will go all out and try to be in the top four. From a financial and prestigal point of view, being in the top four is more important for the club's other matches. But I think winning is a virus, a virus of good, and he will change your thinking and make your plan a reality. It's very important for us, but the most important thing for us now is to win against Genoa. 】
Between now and the end of the season, how important is it for the team to maintain a winning mentality and maintain unity?
Mourinho said: "It's very important now because when this phase is over, the season is over. Now we're in the countdown to the league, every game, every minute, every point is very important. Every Coppa Italia is a knockout and every league is a knockout. Let's see if Spinazzolla can help us before the end of the season. 】
Do you think it's going to be a dirty game tomorrow, like against Samp (opponents keep stalling for time)
Mourinho said: "Against Samp, I sincerely asked the referee the question: "Why don't you give the goalkeeper who is delaying the time after 15 minutes a yellow card, but give it 89 minutes after the game.] "Because in the 89 minutes of the game, the goalkeeper was happy to receive a yellow card. When a team does not want to participate in certain matches, which goes against the essence of the game, the referee should show a yellow card early, which will improve the quality of the game. Genoa had a lot of fouls against Udinese, which shows that they don't want the other side to be able to play well, and if you have a lot of fouls, I think it's very difficult to accept in modern football. 】
All right
There is so much content in the Mourinho conference, I hope there is something you want to see.