Here is Jose Mourinho's press conference following Roma's MASSIVE WIN against Empoli. He focuses on the match, the players and how to handle moments such as this. This interview comes after Roma beat Empoli 7-0 at the Stadio Olimpico, making it their first win of the season.
Dybala was happy, and the best on the pitch: “I am the coach, I have to think differently and express myself differently. They played well, we didn't play a 7-0 game, it happens but it's not like you play to win 7-0. We played to win, calmly. The team played a good match, not uniformly, there were ups and downs physically too, you feel that there are people who don't have the condition to play at high intensity for 90 minutes. We did good management. Then the result, 4-0 or 7-0, happens. I feel sorry for them, but it's football, it happens."
Romelu Lukaku scored practically at the last available opportunity, given that the exchange with Azmoun was established: “For me it wasn't important. Maybe it was for him, you know how strikers are, they live for goals. But the message from him as an expert player was that the team is there, not Romelu who has to score. For him it was perfect, because he scored under the curve, he came out happier but for me nothing changed. "He gives a different profile to the team, we have to learn to play well with him and he doesn't know how to play well with us yet. There is little time to work, the games are used to improve and today, analyzing from the bench, I saw things that I didn't like about the team."
Did you like the midfielders? Sanches and Paredes? "Yes. Paredes also needs to improve his condition, he didn't do a single training session with PSG, then he went on the bench with Salernitana two days after his arrival. He played very few minutes with the national team. "He needs minutes, but minutes under control, also to change his profile a little. Because with the ball he is an extraordinary number 6, which we don't have, but he must improve his intensity, his way of thinking about our defensive game especially when we are in the low block. There are many things to improve."
Is Lukaku physically there, how did you find him mentally? "Happy. Romelu needs to be happy, to feel loved and wanted. Here he immediately felt that the team needed a player like him. He obviously likes to win, it's his nature. At Inter they don't have a reason to be angry, they won the derby 5-1, they are very strong and have many attackers. They must be happy for their former coach who needed Lukaku."
What message does Roma send with this 7-0? “I don't see things that way. I understand the press perfectly, the influence it has on some fans. But for me we weren't the team we said we were in the last two weeks nor was I as bad as they said, but today I'm not extraordinary either and the team has become incredible. We have to work, we have potential to do well. The only objective is to win today, now the only objective is to win on Thursday."
Do you have a squad to challenge for the three competitions? “We have to manage. For example now we have three central defenders. We managed Renato, Dybala too, in others it's more difficult to manage. We were also unlucky, for example Atalanta always plays on Thursday and Monday, while we play on Thursday and Sunday. There is someone in the League who is not in love with me. Let's see, but we will certainly make some changes on Thursday. Even if it's not important for you, as Roma's coach I'm pleased that on matchday four players like Pagano played three."
Did Roma feel satisfied too soon at 2-0? “It was what I expected. I asked for intensity at the start of the match and I knew perfectly well that we had no fuel for 90 minutes. I didn't mind because I expected it. When you lower the pace out of necessity, you must increase your concentration. If you don't have the intensity to press high and try to be vertical straight away, you don't have to make horizontal passes.
"In the first 20 minutes they didn't have any great opportunities to score but they had dominance and possession. We need to be smarter at managing. There were 5 players who started the game who weren't here last year. We need them to understand how we play and one thing they don't understand is how we play when the block is low. It means being dominant but playing lower. The 7-0 is too much, we didn't play a stellar game."
On the injured players: “Aouar was like the others in the balance. It's one thing to be recovered, it's another to be able to play. He had a feeling of tiredness where he had hurt himself. When muscle calls, you can't take risks with players like that. He played Renato who, beyond the price tag, which helped me decide to change him, was perfect. "Him, Dybala, El Shaarawy, Azmoun, we have to manage them and make them grow by training and playing. We must not let them arrive in a tired condition. Romelu, due to the way he trained alone and for the two national team matches, was the one in better condition."
During the break you received a lot of criticism about what was wrong. Today the answer is in the quality that Roma can finally show? “Players are coaches. Coaches help players to be better but they are the coaches. I've always thought of it that way. When it comes to phenomenal coaches, they have to do it even without phenomenal players. We always do our best. Today we saw quality in the game. to build from the bottom the players need to know how to do it. We made some mistakes but they are gaining confidence. We have to improve but it shows. Lukaku had a ball and scored a goal, these are important things. More quality and more conditions for the team to play well."
Is Ndicka a defender who can be a starter? “He is not a child, he has made 150 matches in the Bundesliga. They played with three (at the back) but in a different way from us. I won't tell you the details because I don't want to give them to the enemy but in the first half when he was in front of me, I struggled a bit with him because you have to guide him. "He has presence, strong legs, and is fast. With these 3 central defenders and Smalling, we have 4 different but quality defenders. When one is missing, we only have three but these 4 are reliable."
