José Mourinho is having a tough few weeks as coach of AS Roma. On Thursday evening, the Portuguese and his team suffered a heavy defeat against Genoa (4-1), which led to the sixteenth ranking in Serie A. Mourinho says he has never started a season so poorly before. However, the sixty-year-old coach refuses to look for excuses.
“It is the worst start to a season for me as a coach. Nevertheless, I don’t think it has ever happened that AS Roma has reached a European final twice in a row,” said Mourinho, who won the title at the expense of Feyenoord last year. Won the Conference League and reached the Europa League final last season (loss on penalties against Sevilla).
“I show my feelings behind the scenes because it affects me emotionally, especially considering my relationship with the fans,” Mourinho said of the current situation he is in. “But we have to continue and there is no time to mourn. We will start working hard again from tomorrow. The next match (at home against Frosinone, ed.) is extremely important for us.”
Mourinho finds it too easy to blame the sporting malaise on the absence of a number of players. On Wednesday, Tammy Abraham, Renato Sanches and Chris Smalling, among others, could not be called upon. “If you miss certain players, we lack stability. But it is too easy to blame it on that. Our lack of defensive stability has to do with the team as a whole.”