Jose Mourinho Reborn, The Special One
This is the story of the world’s best football manager Jose Mourinho how he came back and led Roma to the Europa Conference League finals.
A.S Roma will appear in their first European final after 31 years, all because of Jose Mourinho’s artful mind. A trophy-starved team that is not in the race for UEFA Champions League next season in the Serie A table managed to set up a Europa Conference League final against Feyenoord after beating Leicester 2–1 on aggregate.
Roma has enjoyed sporadic success with a Champions League semi-final finish in the 2017–18 season, but since then, they haven’t finished in the top 3 of Serie A. They needed some potion, and the potion came in the face of Mou (Jose Mourinho). The Roma players were in desperate need of a sense of camaraderie and a positive attitude, which Mourinho provided.
Mourinho was appointed head coach of Roma from the start of the 2021–22 season on May 4, 2021. Mourinho signed Tammy Abraham, Matias Viña, and Rui Patricio in goals; he also signed a few other players and modified the team within a short period. Roma started their new season in top form, winning 15 points in five matches.
The team has presented some positive and attacking football under the lights of their new coach, Mourinho is building a consistent team leading to the positive dynamics of the game. Roma’s goals this season came from eight different players, which shows the philosophy of overall team improvement is working well. Still, there are many things that need refinement, but the start is promising from the Giallorossis.
Mourinho’s victory over Florentina gave him the title of fastest manager in Serie A history to achieve 50 wins, and he also holds the record in England and Spain. There is no doubt that Mourinho has increased the fans’ zeal and belief, as they are one of the most demanding fan bases in football. The last several decades have not been joyful for Roma fans, but the last few months have given them hope.
Disappoint at Tottenham
Jose Mourinho had a poor season as the manager of Tottenham Hotspur. Questions were raised, players were attacked, the style of play was not working, and the chase for the top four almost looked unattainable. According to fans and the media, the reason for Tottenham’s downturn is Mourinho’s shift of tactics, which is not working in North London.
Spurs’ team tactics made it difficult for them to recover from losing positions; they only won two games out of eight when they conceded first. Another aspect was that Jose’s Tottenham was overly reliant on Harry Kane, as evidenced by the games they played without him that season. Mourinho claimed that Spurs had few options, so he brought in Gareth Bale on loan from Real Madrid, but it also failed.
Mourinho’s Tactical Periodisation
Last season, Roma used a 3–4–2–1 formation under Paulo Fonseca, and Jose is using the same structure this season, but his counter-attacking play has improved. He signed certain players who fit his counter-attacking style of play, coachable players with high work rates, players who can link well with other strikers, and beat defenders one-on-one.
Mourinho is working on fitness, technique, and psychology as it is a part of his tactical periodisation, scheduling a proper training week for Roma players to adopt his methodology. He is modeling the game structure according to the club’s current situation or assets. His 3–4–2–1 formation is based on pressing, players tucking infield, counter-pressing, and fast transitions in attacking play, and it looks like the players are suited to this method.
He is working with players to teach them what to do in different situations, such as facing a well-organized defence while in possession, defensive transitions when the team has lost possession but is not correctly standing in their defensive positions, and attacking transitions when the team has won possession, but the opponent is not yet organised in defensive structure.
Yes! It can be difficult for some readers to understand, but this is tactical periodisation applied by Mourinho and a few other coaches as well, like Nuno Espirito Santo and Brendan Rodgers.
Last Piece
So this is how the Portuguese tactician took Roma to the finals. If they win, it will be the first trophy for the Giallorossi since 2008. Jose Mourinho has already confirmed that he will stay at Roma for the 2022–23 season. It must be good news for Roma fans because how Mourinho lifted the team indicates trophies are coming to Rome.
Jose Mourinho is the only coach to play in finals of three different UEFA competitions.
A win against Feyenoord will not only crown Giallorossi as Conference league champions but a place in Europa League next season, and Jose is targeting some players who can suit his game plan. He will not leave the way he left Manchester United and Tottenham recently. This time “The Special One” is talking evolution, not revolution.
