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Mourinho describes impact of Dybala’s injury on Roma’s morale in Derby loss

ROME, ITALY - JANUARY 10: Jose Mourinho, Head Coach of AS Roma, looks on during the warm up prior to the Coppa Italia match between SS Lazio and AS Roma at Stadio Olimpico on January 10, 2024 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Andy Mattioli

Roma manager Jose Mourinho underlined the impact that Paulo Dybala’s injury in tonight’s Derby with Lazio had on the rest of the team.

After the Argentine forward went off injured at half-time, Roma were unable to react, conceding a penalty to Lazio shortly after the break.

In Mourinho’s opinion, Dybala’s exit caused a dip in the team’s morale.

“It was a very difficult half-time break for us,” Mourinho told the media in his post-match presser. “Because losing Dybala is a huge blow for us, I immediately felt knew we would lose him for the remainder of the game.”

“Also, I immediately felt that losing Dybala was not just losing an important player, but also losing our soul, our trust, players looked at each other and it was heavy.”

“We didn’t concede a goal because of this, but then in developing the game we saw it throughout last season, we lose a lot without Dybala. He means a lot to us.”

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MatchDay 15
7 Dec 21:45
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Lecce
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