Roma won the UEFA Conference League last year, signalling their first silverware since 2008. It also brought an end to Mourinho’s longest-ever trophy draught of five years. The fans love the way Jose Mourinho has transformed their team into one that could potentially play in Champions League football next season and also win trophies. Many called his elite status as a manager to question after his time managing Manchester United and Tottenham, which weren’t up to his usual standard – although finishing second with Man United was his best-ever achievement, the Portuguese stated.
So how did the special one manage to revive AS Roma and bring hope back to the eternal city? Read on to understand better the shift in mentality and tactical adaptations the team had to implement to get the desired outcome. Make sure to check the LV BET Sports Blog for more interesting articles, and do follow us on Twitter for more comprehensive coverage of the world of football.
What has changed?
Unlike his time with Manchester United and Tottenham, the defensive structure has improved significantly. Roma’s defence at the moment is regarded to be one of the best around Europe, with an xG for goals against at 16.3, the best in Europe’s top five leagues. This achievement was made possible thanks to Jose Mourniho’s old philosophy of performing better without the ball. This shows in the stats as well as in terms of average possession, Roma have 49.3%, and they are also the least active pressing team, with only five other teams in the league allowing their opponents more of the ball. In terms of opponents’ passes per defensive action Roma are at 12.43. This tactical shape-up has proven to be an Achilles heel during his time at Tottenham, but with Roma, the defence are not being put under immense pressure as they rank seventh in terms of least shots blocked per 90 minutes.
The main tactical switch is the shift back to the three-defender system, with the trio of Chris Smalling, Roger Ibanez and Mancini the mainstay of this compact defence. The trio are well acquainted with one another and their relationship has gotten better with time facilitating their task of defending the goals of Rui Patricio. The Portuguese keeper has shipped five goals from his mistakes, only Sassuolo keeper fairing worse than Patricio. It’s safe to say that with a safer pair of hands in between the post they would be closer to Napoli.
The forward line has been impeccable, getting Tammy Abraham in for €40M, Dybala and Belotti on a free. That business has proved to be key to the success of Roma, giving them a well-balanced forward line and depth to their squad should it be needed.
The Future
Well, the season is far from over, with AS Roma now qualifying for the semi-final of the Europa League, a competition that Jose Mourinho has already won with Manchester United. They managed to eliminate Feyenoord after extra time, and now they prepare to go up against Bayer Leverkusen in the semi finals. The progression is clear for everyone to see, in Mourinho’s first year at the club he played in the Europe Conference League and won the title on the first time of asking. This year Roma are playing Europa League and is well poised to get to the Final of that competition. For next year, Roma are now fourth after Juventus got their 15-point deduction revoked, catapulting them just in front of the Giallorossi.
Going through the competition as Roma is doing shows great experience within the team and gradual progression into something great. Also, for an Italian team, European football is where the big bucks are, so should Roma win the Europa League they would generate a substantial amount of income to continue fuel the Mourinho machine. There is a general good feeling about football in the capital of Italy once again after long years in the shadows and it’s all thanks to the grandmaster Jose Mourinho.