Former Italy international Antonio Cassano has lambasted AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho in an extraordinary attack, claiming that the former Real Madrid boss has never been a good coach.
Roma beat Empoli 2-0 on Saturday (February 4), with the capital club sitting third in Serie A. Mourinho led his side to the UEFA Europa Conference League last season. However, Cassano has criticised his former club’s manager, telling Christian Vieri’s BoboTV podcast:
“Mourinho has never been a great coach; he just knew how to play the media and was a great communicator. He is good at dealing with strong players, not ones who aren’t very good. It’s too easy to just be friendly with great players.”
Cassano alluded to Jose Mourinho’s summer signings of Nemanja Matic and Rui Patricio, who have underwhelmed. He also touched on Roma’s 2-1 defeat to Cremonese on February 1:
“It is just a disaster upon a disaster at Roma; he got them to spend money on Nemanja Matic and Rui Patricio, they were his decisions. The other day, that performance made me want to vomit. He doesn’t know how to set out a team. Even with your second-string squad, you need to beat Cremonese.”
Cassano was also damning in his verdict on Mourinho’s handling of Nicolo Zaniolo. The Italian midfielder has been deemed surplus to requirements after hinting of a falling out between the pair:
“As for Zaniolo, he gets to talk about that and not why his Roma team plays like c**p. It’s been a year-and-a-half that this Roma side hasn’t played proper football.”
Mourinho is renowned as one of the greatest managers in European football. He has won titles in England with Chelsea, Italy with Inter Milan, Portugal with FC Porto, and Spain with Real Madrid. The Portuguese tactician has lifted the UEFA Champions League twice.
He joined Roma in 2021 and has overseen 45 wins, 17 draws and 22 defeats in 84 games. The former Manchester United manager boasts a record of 1.81 points per game at the Stadio Olimpico. However, his style of play has been met with polarizing opinion over the years, with many not enthused with his overly defensive philosophy.
Jose Mourinho says he could have left Roma last December amid Chelsea return reports
Jose Mourinho has become frustrated with the lack of financial resources at Roma. There’s a feeling that a lack of funding has diminished his side’s hopes of a Serie A title fight. He told DAZN:
“I could’ve left in December and didn’t; this is my life; every day there is a game. Sometimes, it might seem as if we are struggling, but we are up there with all the others who are very strong.”
José Mourinho’s 1st Premier League defeat at Stamford Bridge arrived in his 5th season as a Chelsea manager. https://t.co/7w1M1uYpCt
The Portuguese tactician has been linked with a potential return to Chelsea, where he has had two spells in the dugout. Reports say that his representatives made contact with the Blues over a possible reunion.
However, the west Londoners are blocking his potential return, as they’re still backing Graham Potter. Chelsea are ninth in the Premier League, trailing fourth-placed Newcastle United by ten points. They have spent over £500 million since the club’s takeover in May last year.
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