Jose Mourinho was frustrated with Roma’s 1-0 defeat to Feyenoord in the Europa League: “We have great difficulty scoring goals.” The Portuguese tactician had to contend with two big injuries as both Paulo Dybala and Tammy Abraham were substituted during the game, leaving them with a lack of attacking options for the return leg. Speaking to Sky Sport Italia (as quoted by RomaPress) Mourinho expressed his annoyance at the result and offered a brief update on his injured players, while explaining his tactical choices during the game:
“We have great difficulty scoring goals, for example away from home against Real Sociedad, we didn’t create a lot, but today we did and also in Salzburg and it seems that tactically the team had a very good attitude. We pressed from the first minute, we played high.”
“We had chances, but we didn’t score. Unfortunately we don’t score many goals. Today is a very clear example, we create but we don’t score. Today many thought that Feyenoord would dominate and Roma would only sit back and defend but that didn’t happen.”
“I try to be pragmatic, I’m not losing my sleep over a defeat ten months later. I think it’s a shame that the next game isn’t against Feyenoord, we have Udinese who are a strong and well-prepared. We are few, many players are injured, but we have an objective in mind.”
“I only know that Abraham injured his shoulder, whereas Dybala has a muscular issue. I haven’t spoken to either of them.”
“Pellegrini? It was a technical decision. The missed penalty had nothing to do with it. When a player misses a penalty it’s as if we missed it all together.”
“Wasted chances? We don’t have Haaland up front. We are who we are, we always do our best. The boys put in a lot of effort and sacrifice”
“We had the opportunity to have a different result, but this is the reality. We lost the first match 1-0. Sunday will be a tough match and Thursday next week will be just as difficult.”
“We don’t have the ability to do so many rotations. We probably lose Abraham and Dybala for these next two games. We are who we are, but we will have the Olimpico crowd fully behind us.”
“The team does not score the goals it should be scoring. On Saturday in Turin we had the opportunity to make it 0-2, but we don’t score many goals. In Salzburg we had many chances and then we were punished. We have this difficulty.”
“Am I optimistic for the return leg? Yes, but I’m also worried about Sunday. If a team like ours loses players, there are fewer options and that’s a concern for us. We always do our best. The result is not deserved, but in football ‘deserved’ is not part of my vocabulary. We are not playing against Feyenoord on Sunday, but against Udinese and we have to think about this.”
