Rome, Mourinho: “Great response, I decided that Pellegrini shouldn’t take the penalty”

“I had a great response from the team.” José Mourinho enjoys his third straight league victory without conceding a goal which also means +5 on fifth place. “It wasn’t an easy victory,” he points out. “We took risks, but we always stayed compact. The result is deceiving: only after the 3-0 win did I feel calm. They played in our half, we ducked down and there we felt the tiredness, in the low block we had some difficulty and then Rui Patricio saved the penalty”.

“I like the Italian soul of this group”

Bove and Pellegrini, two players coming from the nursery, thought to raise the team after the defeat in Rotterdam. Mourinho likes the Italian soul of the group: “Yes, I like it and this is also the way of thinking of the club. It is important to have a good relationship with the youth sector. Football is universal, there are many foreign players, but the Italian players from Roma and Italy in general know how to adapt and create empathy with the fans. Even when we lose the fans they are always with us. Bove played very well but made a mistake that could have changed the game. If Rui Patricio doesn’t had he saved the penalty it would have been complicated. I’m not angry with Bove, it’s part of growing up. I’m happy with this Italian and Roma fan.”

“I decided that Pellegrini shouldn’t take the penalty”

As for Pellegrini, the ‘Special One’, he underlines: “He needed to play with confidence, without having pressure for the missed penalty. He hasn’t had too good performances lately, but he’s a player who has my confidence. I’ve decided not to make him take the penalty because he didn’t need this extra pressure. He would have made it 2-0, but not the decisive one. He had a great game and a good goal. If there was any negative comment after Feyenoord It’s not a problem”.

“Dybala with Feyenoord? I’m optimistic”

Roma finished with the third ‘clean sheet’ in a row in the league: “The quality of a normal coach like me is having to develop strengths and hide weaknesses. Defensive organization is important for us. We have no players explosive up front, the only one being Solbakken, who made an effort to come on to the bench. We’re not very good at making a quick transition starting from the bottom, so when energy drops, the team suffers. We know how to suffer, and that’s important. Now we have to forget the championship. A comeback on Thursday is possible. If Dybala will be there? I’m more positive than negative,” he concludes.

Pellegrini: “The return to goal was a liberation”

Lorenzo Pellegrini enjoys his return to scoring from play in Serie A after a year and a half on the very day he crossed the finish line of 100 appearances with an armband: “After the goal I felt free. The people who love me they asked me to find serenity and lightness again. The ‘little heart’ is a celebration that comes from my daughter but I dedicated it to the whole stadium. For better or for worse, I can count on the fans and they can count on me.” .

“The penalty? I would have taken it”

At the time of the penalty, many thought he was back on the penalty spot after the mistake against Feyenoord. Instead Cristante went and took the post. The Giallorossi captain explains “I would have kicked him. It was the coach’s choice, not for Thursday’s penalty, but for the moment and to make me feel happy again. Now I’ll talk to him”. Roma consolidated third place. “It was important to win, because we had the opportunity to see the results of the other teams. We’ve been working so hard to be there. There are many other games ahead: now we’ll start thinking about the comeback against Feyenoord. This team has grown mentally “, he concludes.