Surprisingly or not, Roma parted ways with their coach Jose Mourinho on Tuesday morning. The Special One spent nearly three years in Rome, taking the helm of the Giallorossi in the middle of 2021 when he was not among the most renowned coaches in Europe.
Mourinho’s time in the Eternal City was indeed special but also more turbulent than it appears at first glance. The struggle was between the straightforwardness of the Portuguese and the passionate DNA of Roma, atypical for an Italian team.
The tears shed at the Trigoria camp upon Mourinho’s farewell demonstrate the respect he commanded among both fans and players of the Wolves. However, things don’t align quite the same way in the club’s management.The Friedkin family, owners of Roma, aren’t the typical Italian club proprietors who frequently change coaches during a season. Nevertheless, the Americans share a notable trait – they are not hesitant to make coaching changes when necessary.For several years now, the American family has been at the helm of Roma, and it seems the club is slowly but surely reclaiming its glory.
With Mourinho, Roma secured its first trophy in over 15 years – the Conference League in 2022, and twelve months later, they would also claim the Europa League. The Wolves lost the final to the Sevilla hegemon in a penalty shootout amid controversial circumstances and refereeing.These European accomplishments significantly bolstered the trust of Roma’s supporters in Mourinho. So much so that just 8 days before his dismissal, the entire “Olimpico” resounded with the name of the Portuguese coach.
Football, however, changes in every moment, and the two losses to Lazio in the Cup and Milan in the championship cost Mourinho his job. Dan Friedkin flew from the USA to personally inform Mourinho that Roma was changing course… without him. Until the end of the season, the Giallorossi will be led by the club icon Daniele De Rossi, and most likely, another distinguished specialist will take the vacant position in the summer.De Rossi is an icon in Rome, but simply not ready to be on the bench of a team like Roma, especially judging by his modest four-month stint at the helm of SPAL, which ended in relegation. Mourinho came to Rome with one goal – to return one of the city’s emblems to the Champions League. However, this did not happen in two consecutive seasons when Roma played in the Europa League.
Teams coached by The Special One traditionally have the habit of complicating their own situation. “They let the tame escape and chase the wild,” as the old folks say. And that happened often with Mou in the Italian capital. But the wildest and most desired escaped him in both full seasons. Purely statistically, Mourinho did not outperform his predecessor and compatriot Paulo Fonseca.
Roma under Fonseca was truly a spectacle to watch at its zenith. In Fonseca’s last season in Rome, the team was remembered solely for the fact that it failed to beat any opponent in the TOP 7! Paradoxically, two of those opponents severed Mourinho’s head – Lazio and Milan.
One of the most successful coaches of our time will always be remembered in Rome, and his name will be respected by both the fans and the players. Mourinho won hearts with the trophy in Tirana, his attitude towards the “Olimpico,” and the passion with which he led Roma.The Special One proved to be indeed special, attempting to alter the DNA of the Wolves, transforming them into a more rational and defensive team according to his style. This, to a large extent, played a bad joke on him precisely in matches against Lazio and Milan, as well as in every other loss (9 in total) from the beginning of the campaign.The yellow and red embody the fire in the unchanging DNA of Roma…
The nine losses from the start of the season illustrated Mourinho’s straightforwardness. And when the connection was lost, especially against two of the biggest rivals in Italy, the resolution occurred. Mourinho is truly special and will always be so for Roma, but his vision doesn’t fully align with that of the Giallorossi.
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