José Mourinho is finished on the AS Roma bench. This is news that has been noted by all football fans. There are many ways of looking at the work done by José Mourinho and evaluating it from many angles. So has his Italian campaign been a success?
The Portuguese phenomenon became the coach of AS Roma in 2021, a surprising move and decision for many. José Mourinho was and certainly still is seen as one of the best coaches of today with the highest ambitions.
However, the club from the Italian capital presented an interesting challenge in an increasingly equal Italian league. The Wolves have also never won a European competition. So who else to call upon but “The Special One”, who with one single exception had enjoyed success wherever he had played.
The club’s management seemed to be very aware of who was sitting on their bench and decided to support their much desired success with considerable investment. The Romans shelled out €130 million for new faces during the transfer window. The most expensive acquisition was English midfielder Tammy Abraham, who José Mourinho brought in from Chelsea for €41 million.
There is no doubt that José always has the highest goals. In this case, however, it was more about stabilising the squad, winning cup positions and trying to surprise in the European Cup. And that’s exactly what he did. With the end of the season approaching, Mourinho has staked everything on one card. He was going for the trophy.
In 2021, a new European competition was formulated and launched – the Conference League, which, in addition to winning the trophy, guarantees the winner participation in the Europa League for the following season. Thus, placing in the league was no longer a priority. Rome went for the trophy and thus spared its mainstays in the last league games.
However, the risk paid off and José Mourinho celebrated success in another of his engagements. What’s more, he became the first ever coach to conquer the Conference League and what’s more? Also the first coach in history to win all three European competitions. In short, his style.
Zero budget
The plan was clear. After winning the Conference League, continue the continuity upwards and aim to win the Europa League, which would mean direct promotion to the Champions League if they couldn’t win it through league position. However, compared to the previous season, Mourinho and his coaching staff had to work with almost zero budget.
Seven million euros fell on the acquisition of Zeki Celik and that was it. The other arrivals were already free players without valid contracts or guest appearances. However, it cannot be said that they were not quality footballers. Paulo Dybala, Andrea Belotti, or Georginio Wijnaldum could certainly offer considerable quality. In the end, the Argentine chic brought the most, but even his contribution wasn’t enough to win the trophy.
The Romans reached the final, where they fell to Sevilla. A final that saw some controversial decisions and missed chances. Although the Portuguese complained about the referee, it is true that his players had decisions on their heads and feet and could have brought the match to a successful end within ninety minutes.
The Champions League did not take place and the club’s coffers remained in the same state as last year. The transfer costs for the upcoming season did not even reach ten million euros, while the profit from the departures reached the eighty million mark.
One big BUT must be emphasized here. In this case, they managed to bring in very high quality reinforcements even for free. Houssem Aouar, Evan Ndicka, in demand all over Europe, complemented by the visiting Renato Sanches, Romelu Lukaku and the newly arrived Leandro Paredes.
Untapped potential
AS Roma looked very pumped up and very ambitious before this season. Here we come to the stumbling block. Everyone who knows Mourinho knows very well the style of play he has been presenting in recent years. The line he uttered as Tottenham Hotspur coach after the Manchester City game sums it up perfectly.
“Let them take the ball home. I’ll take the three points“. Unfortunately, AS Roma also presented themselves in this way, even in games when it was not so necessary. The defensive approach to the game was very frustrating for the offensive players, who were not given the opportunity to be creative. For example, for the likes of Aouar and his style of play, there was no position in Jose Mourinho’s tactics that he needed and where he would have excelled.
We can talk about the fact that Abraham has been plagued by injuries, Dybala too and Belotti is just a shadow of that dreaded goalscorer from Turin. But surely more could have been squeezed out of the squad and not tie them down so much with an unnecessarily defensive approach to the game. They certainly had the individual qualities to do it.
Conclusion
José Mourinho definitely deserves respect. He wasn’t afraid to take a chance on the challenge of managing Roma and go for it. Many coaches of his stature would have waved their hands at such an offer and moved on. Even though AS is probably the least famous club he has managed during his career, he certainly hasn’t disappointed.
He won a trophy and came close to another. For the last two years, he has been working with almost zero budget, as evidenced by the fact that twenty Italian clubs have spent more than AS in the last two years. Although they are now up to ninth in the table, they are only five points behind the places guaranteeing the Champions League, and that is certainly not an untenable position.
It has already made an indelible mark on the club’s history, but it could have achieved more. Unfortunately, he did not use the full potential of his players and Rome very often presented an overly retracted and binding style.
Image source: (AS Roma), Source: Livesport, Transfermarket
