Atalanta-Roma, Mourinho: “Despite the knockout I’m proud”

Although disappointed by the defeat, José Mourinho said he was very satisfied with his team’s performance which he praised despite the final 3-1 win against Atalanta. “I’m proud to be the coach of this team – said the Special One – because we were superior to a fresh line-up that didn’t play in Europe. We dominated the match and lost because of the episodes. Despite our limitations , we played an excellent game. It’s not possible to remove the episodes, which are part of a match and decide the result, but in the first half we controlled the match. Okay, we didn’t create much, but between the two teams we didn’t there was a difference. The first goal is an episode because one of our players loses the ball, Abraham who can’t be fouled and others who don’t mark well in defense. In the second half after the 2-1 draw I had the feeling that there was the possibility of equalizing. Again, however, there was an episode that decided the match. The third goal was not only conceded by Rui Patricio (author of the decisive error, ed), but also me and all the others “.

I PLAY OR… ALDAIR

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Mou went on with his analysis without sparing compliments to his followers: “If I have to play on Saturday, I’ll play. No problem. This is a united team that knows how to stay together in times of difficulty. The fans, of whom Francesco , connected with Dazn, ed) is one of the most representative, they are proud of this group: we closed the match in nine and we hit a post. It is difficult to be critical with a team like mine. I don’t want to say that the result is not right, but as an attitude of those who entered the field from the beginning or after, I am satisfied. The only thing that makes me go home sad is the result, nothing else. The back four? To do it you have to work and we in This period we only have time to rest and then get back on the pitch. What do I want to say to Totti who complimented me? That if I call him captain, he has to call me ‘you’. We can’t work miracles, but a miracle in quotation marks is the empathy between this team and you fans. People understand that this is a team, regardless of results, injuries and everything else. For Saturday (against Milan, ed) you could have lent a hand, but I would have needed Aldair more given the injuries to Smalling and Llorente”. The Brazilian defender was joking on Instagram: “As always available, coach” he wrote Aldair.

SARRI AND THE ROSE

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However, the Portuguese put a little spice after the match this time too, when he spoke of the many injuries. “They’re part of the game: for some teams they’re not a problem, for us they’re a huge problem. Against Atalanta I tried to protect the people who were more tired after Thursday: that’s why Matic, Spinazzola and Dybala started on the bench. Now Smalling and Llorente are out and without them it will be very tough because Smalling is fundamental: the results show it with or without him on the pitch… Maybe a defeat against Feyenoord would have been better to fight until the end to get into the top four … But I’m not used to choosing between Europe and the league (stiletto at Sarri, ed.) I’m not used to going outside Europe to focus on Serie A. If I had done that, at this point we would have only had 7 matches and we could have concentrated on those, without pressure or excessive concern. In my career I’m used to having top squads, with 22-24 interchangeable starters. Once Benzema and a Higuain played; once I lined up Drogba and the other Crespo… We but we want to go ahead in both competitions. I know there is a risk of not winning the Europa League and falling out of the top four in the league, but there is also a risk of winning the cup and finishing in the ‘top four’. This time we didn’t lose either to the sun or to the referee (attack on Sarri and Lazio, ed). We lost because of our individual episodes. We are not powerful either individually or as a club structure to put pressure on a team or another team as I saw yesterday or the day before yesterday without any kind of consequence (reference to the protests of the Lazio bench against the referee, ed. ). We are together and we will be together on Saturday at the Olimpico.”

DYBALA KO

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Final on Dybala’s condition: “He got hurt in the first leg against Feyenoord and on Thursday he made himself available to help us get through. He fought against the adductor that ‘bited’ for being there. Here in Bergamo he entered and he received a bad tackle from Palomino. He only stayed on the pitch because we had one player less (Llorente, ed.). Now he’s in double difficulty because he wasn’t already at the top for his adductor and then there was that surgery on the ankle which for Abisso (at the Var, ed.) was nothing. Maybe he’s right… Let’s see if Paulo can continue to fight with us”.