Roma boss Jose Mourinho commented on the transfer market ahead of their match with Sheriff Tiraspol: “We are a different reality compared to City or United.” The Giallorossi have already qualified for the next round but have lost Paulo Dybala and Sardar Azmoun to injury, leaving them with limited options in attack. Speaking in the pre-match, the Special One touched on the lack of options and also addressed the need for more signings in the January transfer market:
“It’s always nice to see 60 thousand people join us at the stadium, We will have to carry out some mandatory changes tomorrow, Ndicka is disqualified, Mancini’s injured, Smalling too. But regardless of the changes, we have to win.”
“Transfer window? I am counting on it. I don’t expect much. We all want the same thing. We are a different reality compared to City or United. In January I would like 1,2,3,4 different players in order to be stronger as a team in the second half of the season. But that’s very hard for us to achieve. If we sign a defender in the January market I’d already consider myself happy. I’d like something more, but it’s not possible. Even with the defender who arrives we will have difficulties with our UEFA list, as for Krisentensen and Aouar who are out. I would like people to understand, a little honesty. We internally know what we would like.”
“Renato Sanches will play tomorrow. I hope his intensity increases because he is clearly held back by the fear of muscle injuries. I hope the game and the excitement of the game makes him go the other way. Otherwise it’s hard for him to play level matches. An important game for him, for how he will respond. Yesterday he trained specifically for this. What I expect is not the full 90 minutes, but 45 quality minutes.”
“My future? I don’t need to think. I have everything very clear in my head. I can only thank the fans for their support.”
“Dybala’s absence? Without Dybala there is no one else like him and now there won’t be, just like Romelu and it will be a difficult situation because it cannot be replicated and we should do it differently: we have Belotti and Pellegrini who can be the second striker in our gameplan. We have El Shaarawy. Without Dybala it won’t be the same.”
