Mourinho has lost nine of his 21 games in charge
Roma’s owners held showdown talks with Jose Mourinho on Monday after the 4-3 defeat to Juventus at the weekend.
Mourinho’s men were leading 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico before they conceded three goals in seven minutes to lose the crucial match.
Juventus – who were reduced to 10 men when Matthijs De Ligt was sent off with just under 10 minutes of normal time remaining – managed to hold onto their lead and prevent a Roma comeback.
The defeat to Massimiliano Allegri’s side is Mourinho’s ninth at the helm in his 21 games in charge so far this season, with pressure beginning to mount on the Portuguese coach.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss has eight less points than predecessor Paulo Fonseca had at this stage last season, which has seen Roma make their worse start to a Serie A campaign in 43 years.
However, after a meeting with the 58-year-old to discuss the club’s progress and vision, Roma chiefs have no intention of sacking Mourinho at the moment, as reported by Il Corriere dello Sport (via Football Italia).
Mourinho is said to have outlined his thoughts on the team and provided a detailed plan on how to take the next steps in the club’s development.
The Roma hierarchy are happy to proceed with Mourinho as their manager, with the report adding that he is well liked among the I Giallorossi players – who are ‘fascinated’ by his charisma.
Following the defeat at Juve, Mourinho slammed his players for being “weak” and “lacking personality”.
Having also lost 3-1 to AC Milan last week, Mourinho was less than impressed with the loss.
“We were in total control for 70 minutes,” he told DAZN.
“The team played really well and had the mentality of taking control, we came out and started strong. We had this idea of the high press, of controlling the tempo and taking the initiative.
“It was so good for 70 minutes, then there was this psychological collapse. The 3-2 killed us, because Felix [Afena-Gyan] had an extraordinary game, which finished with a sprint against [Juan] Cuadrado. I take him off and his replacement [Eldor Shomurodov] gets it all wrong.
“When we allowed them back in for 3-2, a team with a strong mentality like Juventus, a strong character, the fear set in. A psychological complex. It’s not a problem for me having 3-2, it’s a problem for them. For my team.
“At the end of the day, when you’re in the s***, you get back on your feet and find your character. But there are people in this locker room who are a bit too nice, a bit too weak.
“I already told the players, if the game had ended at the 70th minute, it would’ve been an extraordinary performance. Unfortunately, it didn’t end then.”
Roma have lost nine of their opening 21 league matches and have won just two of their last six Serie A matches.
Related links:
- Jose Mourinho blames everyone but himself after collapse vs Juventus
- Jose Mourinho intervenes to stop Roma fans’ ‘racist’ chants at Zlatan Ibrahimovic
- Jose Mourinho hits out at journalist after refusing to take any questions following Roma defeat
