The Giallorossi coach in the press conference dispels the crisis in the third year: “I’ve never been better in a place. It takes courage, and I’m not afraid to step onto the field tomorrow and face the criticism.”
After spending a sleepless night working and recovering from the setback in Genoa, José Mourinho appeared at the press conference determined and combative on the eve of the match at the Olimpico against Frosinone, dispelling any possibility of a possible departure from Roma despite the difficult start to the season:
“I am not the problem. These are all little things that happen in a company or a team. I gave my word, I will respect my contract until June 30, 2024. I am here every day to fight for the players, the ownership, and the fans. Only one person can tell me to finish before June 30, and that is Mr. Friedkin. If he doesn’t tell me, I will be here until June 30. I’m not afraid to step onto the field tomorrow and be criticized,” he added, urging the team to “have courage.”
A delicate moment for the team, how do you move forward? “We want and need to win, we shouldn’t look for any kind of excuses. In the three matches when the transfer market was still open, we earned only one point, which I thought was difficult for many players. I thought that after the Empoli and Sheriff matches, that difficulty might go away. A draw in Turin, under normal circumstances, would have been a positive point. In Genoa, I expected continuity and improvement, but it didn’t happen.
If they offered me a renewal today? “We are talking about a hypothetical situation, and I don’t like to talk about hypotheses. If it hasn’t happened, I can’t answer you. What I can tell you is that three months ago, after the Budapest finals, there was almost a drama thinking that I could leave. I told the players that I would stay, two days later we played against Spezia, and there I told the fans that I was staying. Two or three days later, I spoke with Dan Friedkin, and I gave him my word that I would stay.
During the vacation period, I received the biggest, craziest job offer that a coach has ever received in the history of football, and I turned it down because of the promise I made to my players, to Friedkin, and to the fans. Three months later, it seems like I am the problem, but I don’t accept it. I don’t read or watch TV, but I have friends and collaborators who bring me these rumors. I am telling you I am not the problem.
The Frosinone? “We need to have courage. Frosinone is a good team in good form, and we need desire, courage, and personality. I would have liked to play today.”
The third-year crisis? “When a person is doing well, there is no third, fifth, or tenth year. There are problems even in the first year, in football as in life. I have friends whom I’ve known for 5 years, and we’re still friends. It’s all a marathon: football, life; I don’t see it as a problem.
We can’t change our problems with a 100 million investment, as City or Barcelona do. The problem isn’t the years, but the relationship, whether it exists or not. And for me, the relationship exists. I like this relationship very much; I haven’t liked it more anywhere else.”
