“If you’re in the shit…”

Monday, January 10, 2022 at 00:18• Mart van Mourik • Last update: 00:20

Trainer Jose Mourinho lashed out hard at his own players on Sunday evening. In the Serie A match against Juventus, AS Roma gave up a 3-1 lead in the space of seven minutes: 3-4. “When you’re in shit, you have to stand up and show character. But players in this dressing room are too weak and too sweet,” Mourinho grumbled in front of the camera of DAZN after the match.

The Romans were leading 3-1 after seventy minutes of play and there seemed to be no problem. The team of the suspended Massimiliano Allegri then turned the game upside down via Manuel Locatelli, Dejan Kulusevski and Mattia De Sciglio: 3-4. A handball from Matthijs de Ligt, who was shown red, still seemed to throw a spanner in the works for Juventus, but Lorenzo Pellegrini’s penalty was stopped by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Mourinho was furious after and certainly did not protect his group of players.

“What happened?” Mourinho responded. “Unfortunately, I have the right to criticize. I don’t want to do it, but I will. I’ve already told the players: if the game had ended in the 70th minute, it would have been extraordinary. But unfortunately we got a mental breakdown, and the 3-2 in particular made me furious. A team with a strong mentality normally has no problems with a 3-2 score. What’s the problem? For me there is no problem, but for the players it is. And that’s when the psychological vulnerability, the fears, maybe even the complexes came to the fore. If you’re in shit, you gotta get up and show your character. But players in this dressing room are too weak and too sweet.”

“It also has to do with our talents: we have players who can improve,” Mourinho continues. “However, the team lacks strength. Even among the starting players there is a lack of personality, a lack of players who know how to deal with emotions and the game.” Mourinho also expects that the desired ‘mental reinforcement’ will be brought in from outside sometime next week. midfielder with a different profile: more physical, with more character and someone who is willing to take responsibility.”