Roma manager José Mourinho met with the media today to discuss tomorrow’s Europa Conference League tie against Trabzonspor.
The Giallorossi host the Turks tomorrow for the second leg of their European matchup, which Mourinho claims will have a different feel since UEFA scrapped the away goals rule.
“The approach will change a bit without this rule,” began the 58 year-old. “Obviously there will be more extra time than before, but our goals is always to win.”
“We understand that we only need a draw, but we’ll only think about this if things are level in the 80th minute.”
Adding further, “We have a lot of margins for growth. I complimented Italiano on Sunday because each of us has been working with our respective clubs for less than two months. But when your team plays like his did on Sunday, you deserve plaudits.”
“For us, it’s more difficult, there is a lot to improve and work on. Even today we were practiced a situation in the match against Fiorentina that I didn’t like”
Mourinho also discussed a few topics relating to some of the individual players in his squad.
“Pellegrini? He can do it all. If we had three Pellegrini’s they would play at the same time, none of them would be on the bench. He’s an intelligent player that understands his role.”
“As for Diawara, he had a small bust up with a supporter after being provoked. There wasn’t any physical aggression and it’s not a big deal. Amadou’s situation is simple: he’s a player that’s in our team.”
“The transfer market is open until the 31st, something could happen one way or the other. He’s a good professional, a great man, and everyone has a good relationship with him. It’s no issue if he remains at Roma.”
Finally, Mourinho addressed how much turnover we could see tomorrow, given that it will be his team’s third match in seven days.
“This is a moment where we need to play. We have a good preseason and everyone played. But now is the time for us to play. Our team is growing and we must develop a lot over time.”
“We want to try to win every match, the focus will always be on the next game. This is why tomorrow’s match is more important than Sunday’s. This is why I’m not worried about making many changes or using the traditional turnover.”
