Jose Mourinho gave an extensive interview in which he discussed his rapport with Roma players and fans alike.
In an appearance for TV7 with Aurelio Capaldi, the Special One said, “This team is different. Here there is more empathy and less problems.”
“Here the empathy is very high, the respect between us, the confrontation is very open, I’m not really sweet, I’m a coach capable of being sweet, but also capable of being critical, aggressive, demanding, and so the more empathy you have, the more chances you have to play. I have a very good relationship with these players.”
On UEFA’s suspension following his outburst after the defeat in Budapest against Sevilla, Mourinho added, “It made me feel good from an emotional point of view, it made me feel like I was the man who represented the feeling of all Romanisti.”
“The team has lost little without me, we have a technical staff with whom I work very well, we understand each other well, they are able to get into my brain and know what I think at a certain moment.”
“I don’t like going to see a game and not sitting here on the bench, here I’m happy, here I don’t feel the pressure, this is where I live – on the sidelines. Being out, I’ll tell you the truth, it’s helped me analyse the team, but it’s not for me. I don’t even like watching games where I’m not involved, my life is here on the pitch.”
On the Curva Sud and the support from the home crowd at Stadio Olimpico: “I ran here twice, once in my thousandth game, the goal of El Shaarawy at Sassuolo, I was afraid of losing that game … if you lose the game 300 or 500 then after a week you forget it, but the thousandth, I will always remember it. Roma-Sassuolo, I couldn’t lose. When we won I ran toward the fans.”
“The other time it was before Tirana, at home against Venezia, we all came here and there I came with a different emotion, I almost wanted to take a microphone ‘let’s go to Tirana for you’. These people are great. When they ask me what is the best fan base I have had, if I ways say I have had so many beautiful ones, Inter, Real Madrid, Chelsea, but we have never lost, in quotation marks. These people here if you’re losing at the 90′ at home against Lecce the Curva is still full and the people continue to motivate the team. These people are incredible.”
