Jose Mourinho paid special praise to Leandro Paredes and Bryan Cristante in the aftermath of Roma’s 1-1 draw with Torino.
The two players are being tested in various positions in a two-man midfield which Mourinho constructed following the exit of Nemanja Matic.
In his post-match press conference, Mourinho remarked, “Paredes and Cristante were extraordinary. I really like what they’re showing me so far.”
When asked about his reluctance to have more players come off the bench in last night’s match, Mourinho answered, “Azmoun is still not fit enough to play with this kind of intensity. Aouar was not feeling at his best and Pellegrini, like I said earlier, was not available.”
“With a game this intense you cannot afford to replace Lukaku or Dybala. The only change I envisioned was El Shaarawy with Zalewski coming on for him. And then Belotti. I was happy with the team and I didn’t see any way to improve it. Sometimes you can make five changes, today I didn’t feel that way.”
