Special One hit again. After becoming Roma coach in July 2021, the Portuguese coach has reclaimed a team that enjoys massive public support. As always, Jose Mourinho achieved what seemed impossible and guided the Giallorossi to their first title in 14 years.
Historical European League Conference
So Jose Mourinho entered the Roma team into the history of European football. So the club from the Italian capital was the first in history to win the new UEFA Europa League conference. This is thanks to a road full of pitfalls.
After qualifying for the play-off matches against Trabzonspor (aggression score 5-1), Roma inherited Group C. Gilorossi He was scheduled to face Bodo Glimt (Norway), Zorya Luhansk (Ukraine) and CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria). A group from which they came out in first place, one small point behind the Norwegian champions.
After that, Roma beat Vitesse Arnhem (2-1 aggregate score) in the round of 16, then Bodo Glimt in the quarter-finals (5-2 aggregate score). In the semi-finals, the Romans returned Leicester to England (2-1) and offered themselves the final against Feyenoord Rotterdam. A match that Roma won 1-0, which goes down in the history of the competition.
An ambitious transfer window is 2022
After that, Jose Mourinho will have a lot of means to realize his great ambitions. His desire was to ensure that Roma would return to a great Italian club, and qualify for the Champions League. And to do this, Jose Mourinho puts the small plates in the big ones.
This summer, several big names have arrived to fill this club of Roma workforce. 5 players arrived free of any contract, not the least. Serie A top scorer Andrea Belotti arrives from Turin, while Nemanja Matic arrives from Manchester United. Ola Solbakken has just signed and will wear the team’s colors in 2023 (Bodo Glimt), while Mile Svilar arrives as a substitute as goalkeeper (Benfica). Finally, the last player to arrive for free is none other than Paulo Dybala, from Juventus. A transfer process that will cause a lot of ink to flow out.
At the same time, Jose Mourinho will succeed in courting Maddy Kamara (Olympiacos) despite strong European interest. Zeki Celik also arrived from LOSC for €7m, and Jorginho Wijnaldum arrived on loan with an option to buy from Paris Saint-Germain. Enough to strengthen the workforce with experience and, above all, quality.
Roma already won the title?
However, the chemistry has not yet taken root in the Giallorossi. In Serie A, the team already looks off the hook. In seventh place with 27 points, Roma is 14 points behind Napoli, who leads the list. Also in the Europa League, the capital’s club was frightened, as it finished second in Group C with 10 points. Betis finished first with 6 points, while Ludogorets didn’t finish far (7 points, 3).
But more than worrying about the title, it is at the manpower level that AS Roma is struggling. In fact, many recruits this summer haven’t been able to fully integrate. Georginho Wijnaldum was injured immediately, as was Paulo Dybala, who returned just before the World Cup. Nicolo Zaniolo’s future is still written in dotted lines on the Roma side, and another departure in this workforce is already expected. Featured He still has a lot of work to do to get Roma back into the big leagues at the national level. Because fans have been dreaming of a Scudetto since 2001…
