Jose Mourinho interrupted by Roma stars celebrating Conference win
Jose Mourinho aimed a thinly-veiled dig at his players for conceding late on as Roma succumbed to a late 2-1 defeat at home to Real Betis. It is a move that Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham fans will be able to recognise from his time at their respective clubs, and the Portuguese coach may well be up to his old tricks as he faces mounting pressure on his job.
The Giallorossi took the lead through a Paulo Dybala penalty in the first half before Guido Rodriguez equalised for the La Liga outfit. The winning goal then came from Luiz Henrique, who was allowed to jump relatively undisturbed to snatch the winning goal for Manuel Pellegrini's Betis.
Roma wing-back Leonardo Spinazzola appeared to misjudge the flight of the ball which led to the goal and Mourinho vented his frustration at his players' inability to see out the result, repeatedly pointing out his team were "tired" and conceded due to a matter of "fatigue".
“We are talking about a tired team, one that is trying to win, Matic was able to press and Spinazzola could not, so they found the space at the back. I think it was an error that came from fatigue," Mourinho said in his press conference.
Jose Mourinho: The Roma coach aimed a sly dig at his players (Image: YouTube/ASRoma)
“It hurts, because although it was not a great performance, the team did not deserve to lose.”
The 59-year-old's refusal to take responsibility for the defeat echoed his final months at Manchester United, where fallouts with players such as Paul Pogba became public after the Portuguese tactician scapegoated several members of his squad.
Luke Shaw and Romelu Lukaku also spoke of such events following his departure, and the same appears to be happening in Rome. Two of his current players, Chris Smalling and Nemanja Matic, will know all about how Mourinho treats his players in the wake of a defeat.
But this one will hurt perhaps more. A win would have allowed Mourinho to surpass Sir Alex Ferguson as the manager with most victories in European competition, with the pair currently level on 106 apiece.
Roma: Chris Smalling reacts after Betis steal victory late on (Image: AFP)
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But his side failed to deliver the goods and Roma now face the reality of fighting for second place in the group after two defeats from three games, with Mourinho's disappointment only compounded by Nicolo Zaniolo's late red card for a petulant kick at his opponent.
“I did not see, the assistant was there and saw," he added. "It is a shame he didn’t see the yellow card for Pezzella, who should’ve been sent off. I didn’t see, but Zaniolo certainly did something.”
Despite calls on social media for Roma to sack Mourinho after another defeat in the competition, it seems as though he will hang onto his job for now, with the Italian side only four points off the top in Serie A in sixth place.
