Jose Mourinho, like others before him did including Eusebio Di Francesco and Paulo Fonseca, cannot do without Bryan Cristante on the pitch.
According to Corriere dello Sport, The Special One and Cristante hit it off as soon as they met each other in preseason training camp.
The Portuguese manager reportedly held numerous discussions with the player to assess his strengths and preferences in defensive and offensive positioning.
The thing about Cristante is – he can and will play almost anywhere the coach tells him to.
Born as an attacking midfielder/trequartista at Atalanta, developed into a central midfielder, a mezzala, and a center-back in a 3- and 4-man defense at Roma; Cristante can do it all.
Mourinho so far this season has not been able to play without him: the 26-year-old is, except for Rui Patricio, the player with most minutes played (1,362 minutes) featuring in all 17 matches so far.
The Special One values his ability to carry and play the ball forward as well as his handling of defensive duties and helping out Mancini and Ibanez at the back.
