Jose Mourinho reportedly had an outburst at half-time during Roma’s humiliating 6-1 away loss to Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League. According to Il Corriere dello Sport, the ‘Special One’ lashed out at his players in the dressing room as his understrength side were 2-1 down at the break.
Mourinho’s decision to shake things up a bit and give some peripheral figures a chance to showcase their skills against Bodo/Glimt eventually backfired on him. Despite introducing several first-team stars in the second half, the Portuguese manager suffered a thoroughly disturbing defeat in Norway.
“There are people among you who wouldn’t even play here in Norway, or even in Serie B,” Mourinho reportedly said in the locker room, as relayed by Il Corriere dello Sport.
It has been Mourinho’s heaviest defeat as a manager. Before succumbing to Bodo, the former Inter Milan coach boasted a 100% European record in charge of Roma, having won all four Europa Conference League fixtures beforehand, qualifiers included.
Roma’s utterly underwhelming showing in Norway is a sharp contrast to their solid domestic start. The Giallorossi have accrued five wins from their opening eight Serie A matches under Mourinho en route to securing a place inside the top four.
Roma will put their top-four hopes on the line when they entertain high-flying Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday. Becoming the first side this season to steal the points away from Luciano Spalletti’s unstoppable team would be a perfect way to bounce back from midweek’s disaster.
Despite their recent setback, the Giallorossi can draw inspiration from their eye-catching home form under Mourinho. Roma have won all four Serie A games at the Stadio Olimpico this term by an aggregate score of 8-2, which serves as a confidence booster heading into this fixture.