Every predicted line-up for Salernitana-Roma included a midfield pivot of Nemanja Matic and Lorenzo Pellegrini. Ultimately, José Mourinho decided against it and replaced Matic with Bryan Cristante.
The decision proved to be successful: Cristante scored the winning goal from long range, but more importantly the player helped guide the team forward and maintain defensive stability at the back.
According to La Repubblica, in fact, Mourinho is a big admirer of his, and considers him a valuable asset who – despite the recent arrival of big summer signings such as Matic and Gini Wijnaldum – will continue to find ways to be included in the starting line-up.
