José Mourinho took full responsibility for the romp against Bodo/Glimt. But it was clear he did not put the team in a position to succeed, likely intentionally, by trotting out a lineup filled with rarely utilized players. In the post-game remarks, he preferred to defend his reputation rather than the team, La Repubblica pointed out.
The decision by the Portuguese gaffer was not random or dictated by the simple desire to rest his regulars. Instead, he wanted to send a message to the ownership. He does not think half the roster lives up to the team’s ambitions, the newspaper adds.
Mourinho has committed to Roma for the next three years. And he would like to be successful in such span. The attempt to lure him away by Newcastle was a long shot, but it was real. The coach followed it up by sacrificing a game and a few players to show the bigwigs the ongoing issues.
The Giallorossi were one of the biggest spenders in Europe in the summer. But they are still ways away from being legit contenders. Mourinho opted to demonstrate that in an empathic fashion. After the match, he underlined that Bodo/Glimt starters have better quality than the Roma backups.
In particular, the manager has pilloried Bryan Reynolds, Amadou Diawara, Marash Kumbulla, Riccardo Calafiori, Gonzalo Villar, and Borya Mayoral in the early going. Both by giving them very little playing time and through veiled remarks. He is hopeful the president will again open up the wallet in January and next June to bolster the team.