Mou hails Dybala's spirit and has a bit of exciting advice for Belotti
Jose Mourinho insists that the entrance of Paulo Dybala changed Roma's mentality, made the team beat 10-man HJK Helsinki, and advised Andrea Belotti to score with 'his knee, his head, or even his butt.'
After losing their season opener 2-1 to Ludogorets,
the Giallorossi
needed a win, and they got off to a great start when Miro Tenho was sent off for a foul on a breakaway by Belotti after only 14 minutes.
Yet, it wasn't until the second half that the scoreboard finally reflected any action, with
Paulo Dybala's first touch breaking the deadlock, followed by
Lorenzo Pellegriniand Belotti finishing off assists from Zaniolo.
“Obviously Dybala scored the first goal and the team had a different attitude. We had the wrong attitude in the first half, acting as if we were 11 against 11." This is what
Jose Mourinho
told Sky Sport Italia.
“We were too passive, whereas Paulo broke the deadlock and that changed the whole attitude; we moved to essentially a two-man defence, knew it was mandatory to get two goals quickly and make the most of the extra man.
“I’m sorry for HJK, as they started well and it was difficult after going down to 10 men. VAR made the right decision, but I’ve been in these situations as a coach and it’s tough for a coach and players. It was a difficult match for us; we tried moving the ball around. What a coach must do is try to disguise the weaknesses of his squad as best he can. That also means making the most of your strengths; other coaches investigate and study us, just as we do with or opponents, so it’s a puzzle.
“Roma did not play well in the first half, but this game isn’t really a reference for tactics because it was against 10 men for 75 minutes. We need to improve building out from the back, again we have difficulty in that and I try to hide it, but we need to move the ball around faster and these super talented players we have upfront need to be more determined in the finishing.
“I think this virus of the fancy football is spreading, because Gallo had a few back-heel flicks today and that’s not his style! He needs to get it over the line with anything, his knee, his head, his butt, whatever! We create many, many scoring opportunities and don’t score enough goals.”
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