At the beginning of the this year’s Serie A campaign, many viewers and supporters were ecstatic to see Jose Mourinho return to the top-flight league of Italy for the first time since his 2010 treble-winning campaign with Inter.
However, it seems that the Portuguese mastermind has fell short of the expectations surrounding his return to Serie A as his Roma side have endured a difficult first half of the season, possibly making it the “Special One’s” final straw.
Throughout the beginning of the season, Mourinho seemed to have proven his value as manager of Roma as the Giallorossi won their first three opening fixtures.
The Portuguese tactician seemed to be getting the best out of his players as Lorenzo Pellegrini and Jordan Veretout flourished within the midfield through their immaculate passing ability and their flair of creativity. Furthermore, Mourinho has revived Tammy Abraham’s career as the English talisman scored a goal and provided two assists in his opening three games since his arrival from Chelsea.
Unfortunately, Mourinho’s Roma side were unable to maintain that level of consistency throughout the course of the season.
Within the first 19 weeks of the campionato, Mourinho’s men have undergone a roller-coaster of emotions as they accumulated a total of ten wins, two draws, and eight losses. Despite their moments of triumph, the Giallorossi have taken shocking defeats to the likes of Venezia, Bologna, and Verona.
In addition, the “Special One” has only been able to obtain four points against the the Serie A’s top five, resulting in his side constantly losing grip on an Europa League qualifying-spot.
Throughout the season, there is no doubt that Mourinho has made improvements to this Roma side as the Portuguese manager has implemented a fast-paced attacking style of play. Compared to Fonseca’s Roma squad, Mourinho’s side have been playing with a lot more vibrancy within the final third. The players seem to possess more creativity and dynamism through their one-two combinations through the middle, as well as fluid circulation of the ball from the middle of the pitch to the flanks out-wide.
We have witnessed flashes brilliance of Mourinho’s attacking-tactics as the Giallorossi stunned Atalanta 4-1 away from home, a fixture where Nicolò Zaniolo and Abraham ran riot as the two marksmen complemented each-other’s qualities really well. However, as the old saying goes within Italian football, it is defence that wins championships.
There is no doubt that Mourinho has failed to find consistency within Roma’s defensive shape. We have witnessed countless of times where the Giallorossi have lacked quality within their play off the ball, causing them to suffer immensely on the pitch.
The recent Derby della Capitale was a principal example of Roma’s lack of quality in their defensive style of play as the Biancocelesti scored two goals in the opening 20 minutes of play, constantly breaking through Roma’s lines on the counter-attack like a knife slicing through butter.
In addition, Roma’s side collapsed against the league-leaders Inter at the Stadio Olimpico, conceding three goals in the opening half of a fixture where the Nerazzurri were constantly entering the Giallorossi’s half far too easily.
And of course, Mourinho’s recent return to the San Siro saw his Roma side shatter against a decimated Milan side, where a lack of defensive discipline and sloppy passes led to fatal mistakes in their 3-1 defeat to the Rossoneri. It is evident that the “Special One” has been unable to implement the same style of defending that played a significant role in Inter winning the treble in the 2009-10 football season.
As it stands, Roma are currently joint-sixth with Fiorentina, each possessing a total of 32 points within the league. With Mourinho’s men currently outside of an Europa League qualifying-spot, the Portuguese tactician hopes that he can turn things around within the second half of the season to avoid the club officials from pulling the plug from his three-year contract with the Giallorossi.