Mou, disqualified against Inter this time too

The Inter fans have not forgotten him. And they never will. And the feeling is mutual. José Mourinho will forever remain linked to the Nerazzurri colours, with which he won the treble in 2010. Yet, since he has coached Roma, only two out of four times has the Special One shown up at San Siro to garner the people’s affection. On the other two occasions, including Sunday’s match, two suspensions prevented his return to the field.

first time

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Mou returns for the first time as an opponent in the stadium that had given him so much joy for the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup, on 8 February 2022. He does not appear on the pitch during the warm-up (certainly a thoughtful choice), so I hug him of “his” people only arrive when the teams enter the field. First the Curva Nord banner (“Welcome home Josè”), then the old chant “José Mourinho, la la la la José Mourinho” and lots and lots of applause. The Portuguese, also out of respect for Roma, would like to end it there, but the chorus becomes too intense and he has no choice: he stands up to thank and throw kisses, also putting his hand to his heart. The match ends 2-0 for the Nerazzurri, Roma eliminated. After the match Mou confessed: “I will never hide that the relationship with Inter and their people will be eternal. But I came here to win, for my Rome, my Romanist people.”

the return

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A couple of months later the Special One tries again. It’s April 23rd, the season is coming to an end, the Nerazzurri are chasing championship points. Perhaps this is also why the welcome is a little more timid this time. Before the challenge, no choir, no banners, little enthusiasm. He avoids waving during the warm-up, it’s better to stay focused. Things change towards the 70th minute, with Inter ahead 3-0 (the match will then end 3-1, Mkhitaryan’s goal). The curve sings the usual chorus. He, visibly disappointed by the result, raises his hand to thank. And then San Siro insists: “José Mourinho is one of us.” This time no reaction. But after the match he stated with conviction: “I love Inter and Inter loves me, but I want to win every match. I can say, however, that I would like Inter to win the championship”. He won’t succeed, by just one point.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

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In the following championship Roma goes to San Siro on October 1st, still 2022. Mourinho is not there due to disqualification, he is replaced by deputy Foti: Roma wins 2-1 with goals from Dybala and Smalling. In the previous match, against Atalanta, the Special One had received a red card for having “unduly entered the pitch, railing against a player from the opposing team”, in this specific case Hateboer. A curiosity: the referee who sent him off was Chiffi, the same one defined as “the worst match director I have met in my career” after the much discussed match against Monza last season. So here we are again at Monza, on Sunday at the Olimpico: this time the red card comes from Ayroldi, for that gesture (“speak, cry”) considered unsportsmanlike towards Palladino.

STATISTICS

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So Foti will still be on the bench on Sunday. And while in Rome someone ventures that he did it on purpose, “because they are in difficulty with Inter”, superstitious and statisticians cannot fail to notice the balance of the matches at San Siro: two defeats with Mou, one victory with Foti.