“Now we will have to play two extra matches, and we didn’t need that. In January, I expect a defender that we can afford.”
“After the convincing victory against Sheriff Tiraspol, José Mourinho is still bitter about finishing second in the group. ‘The verdict is that, due to our own faults, we end up in second place. We had a terrible match in Prague, which determined the group situation,’ explained the Special One. ‘Now, instead of resting, we need to play 2 extra matches.’
‘We will be facing a significant opponents coming from the Champions League, but I will tell you surely that they won’t be happy to have us as opponents,’ he added. ‘Benfica reached the Champions League quarterfinals last year and is now in the Europa League. The same goes for others, for whom being in the Europa League is a responsibility,’ he continued. ‘I hope it doesn’t go as it did last year: when we beat teams like Red Bull, Real Sociedad, and Bayer Leverkusen, but for the media it seemed like we had defeated weak teams.’
Then a remark about the transfer market. ‘Pinto said a defender will arrive in January? I expect a defender we can afford,’ said the Special One. ‘For some clubs, it’s easy to sign players; for us, it’s very difficult. The owners want it, I want it, the executives want it. We all want it together, but we can’t sign a fantastic player in top condition because our Financial Fair Play situation limits us a lot.’
‘Some people say untrue things about us. They compare us to big teams, but we need more respect,’ he added. ‘Pisilli’s goal? They are boys that come from here (Rome), go to the stadium since childhood, and when they have the opportunity to play in the first team, it’s a great thing. Pisilli’s first goal at the Olimpico is truly a great joy, and I left to avoid crying.’
‘If everyone is well, we are not afraid of anyone in the Europa League, and then we can fight for the fourth spot without doubts in the league too,’ Mou continued. ‘Unfortunately, we have and will always have problems with the profile of the players we have. But I don’t want and we shouldn’t cry,’ concluded the Roma coach.
