Roma boss Jose Mourinho dismisses PSG talk ahead of Europa League semi-final

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
More
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Roma boss Jose Mourinho dismisses PSG talk ahead of Europa League semi-final
Roma boss Jose Mourinho speaks to journalists ahead of his side's Europa League semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen
Roma boss Jose Mourinho speaks to journalists ahead of his side's Europa League semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen
Reuters
AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho (60) lightheartedly brushed off persistent speculation around taking a managerial role at Paris St Germain, as his team prepares for the first leg of the Europa League semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen at home on Thursday.

Despite talk of potentially take over the Ligue 1 club from Christophe Galtier (56) in the 2023-24 season, Mourinho reaffirmed his loyalty to Roma, where he is currently under contract until 2024.

"If they called, they didn’t find me," Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia on Wednesday before the pre-match news conference.

Roma are set to confront a formidable challenge as they go head-to-head against Xabi Alonso's squad on Thursday. Notably, Alonso played a pivotal role in Mourinho's success during their tenure at Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013.

Together, they clinched prestigious titles such as LaLiga, Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup.

During the news conference, Mourinho expressed admiration for the former Spain international, showering him with praise.

"I haven’t seen him for a long time. We’ve always had a fantastic rapport, more than between a coach and a player."

Mourinho said that the German team ranks among Europe's finest in terms of executing counter-attacks.

The two side's head-to-heads
Flashscore

"They are very dangerous in this moment of the game, they defend, wait for the opponent to lose the ball and then it’s difficult to stop them," he said, emphasising the number of swift attacking players in Alonso's squad.

"He uses the style that suits his players more, five or six... of them could run the 100m with Marcel Jacobs at the Olympics."

Despite Roma reaching the semi-finals of a prominent European competition for the third consecutive season, Mourinho dismisses the notion that it puts pressure on the team.

"We have enough experience not to be too excited for being in the semi-finals, and not to be too fixated on the fact that it is the first game and that it is played at home," he said.

Mourinho said it was likely key striker Paulo Dybala (29) and midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum (32) will not be in the starting lineup due to their injuries.

"We’ll do everything we can to fully recover them but we must prepare the match regardless of their availability."

The return leg will take place on May 18th.

Follow the game with Flashscore.

21+ | COMPETENT REGULATOR EEEP | RISK OF ADDICTION & LOSS OF PROPERTY | KETHEA HELPLINE: 210 9237777 | PLAY RESPONSIBLY & SAFELY |

France gouvernement

Les jeux d’argent et de hasard peuvent être dangereux : pertes d’argent, conflits familiaux, addiction…

Retrouvez nos conseils sur joueurs-info-service.fr (09-74-75-13-13, appel non surtaxé)

Do you want to withdraw your consent to display betting ads?
Yes, change settings