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Europa League 'experts' Sevilla FC have once again shown why they deserve that tag. After winning their seventh title at an electrifying Puskas Arena in Budapest on Thursday, June 1, they become the competition's most decorated side. Jose Mourinho's AS Roma became their hapless victims as Sevilla's Gonzalo Montiel recreated his 2022 World Cup final heroics in delivering the last blow during the penalty shootout.
In truth, this game should not have gone to extra time as both teams had ample opportunities to win the game in regulation time. Although we are tempted to sing paeans of the Andalusians, this article is dedicated to the losing manager, Mourinho, who, until last night, had an enviable record in European finals. Along with Giovanni Trapattoni, the self-anointed 'Special One' had the distinction of winning all five of his European finals, including the Champions League and the Europa League, which was formerly called the UEFA Cup.
This is an outstanding feat, given the cutthroat nature of elite European football. However, the Portuguese manager could neither maintain his 100 percent winning record nor could he overtake Trapattoni by becoming the only manager to win all six of his European finals.
A win last night would only have enhanced his reputation as the 'Special One', as very few managers have the confidence in their abilities as he does. Unlike Pep Guardiola, who has previously shown a proclivity for overthinking and tinkering with tried and tested ideas before major games, Mourinho's tactics have remained constant, at least for the last decade.
Unlike other managers who have developed and built upon their ideas with time, Mourinho believes in his old defense-first approach, in which defensive solidity becomes the core identity of his teams.
Mourinho relies heavily on his defenders
With Roma in the Italian League, Mourinho has taken his already-defensive approach to the next level, going further than his Inter Milan days. If one needs proof of this statement, one only needs to look at the penalty takers the team sent during the shootout.
Bryan Cristante, the regista, was the first penalty taker, who converted his spot kick. Then came Gianluca Mancini, who put his shot straight and saw it get saved by Yacine Bono. The last kick was taken by the bloody-faced Roger Ibañez, who was also thwarted. Why were two defenders sent to take crucial spot kicks in a European final, with both of them being center halves? Where was Tammy Abraham or the other forwards?
We only have to compare them to the Sevilla penalty kick-takers. Lucas Ocampos, Erik Lamela, and Ivan Rakitic are all technically proficient footballers with neither of them being defenders. Gonzalo Montiel, the right-back, had proven himself to be a spot-kick specialist in the World Cup final but even he fluffed his lines on the first attempt, before converting the retake.
More importantly, Mourinho should not have chosen Mancini as one of the penalty-takers. His confidence must have been dented after his own goal led to Sevilla's equalizer. In this respect, Mourinho is similar to Jurgen Klopp. Both managers look at their defenders to come up with tactical solutions. Instead of using a natural midfielder, Klopp has been using Trent Alexander Arnold in the middle. Like Klopp, Mourinho depends on his defenders to squeeze out of tricky situations.
Mourinho's defensive tactics look stale against Sevilla
Perhaps Mourinho's biggest stumbling block has been his own inability to evolve as a tactician. His team was evidently superior in the first half with Sevilla forward Youssef En-Nesyri hardly getting a touch in the Roma box, let alone take a meaningful crack at goal. Paulo Dybala's 35th-minute strike was a testament to Roma's superiority as they looked both physically and mentally superior.
Everything changed in the second half with Sevilla manager Jose Luis Mendilibar introducing the twinkle-toed Suso, along with Erik Lamela, to provide much-needed fluidity to his team's passing. Whereas in the first half, they looked slow and labored. The introduction of these two players suddenly made Sevilla more threatening than Roma looked in the entire first half. An equalizer looked inevitable and so it came.
Mourinho was poised to get another 1-0 victory but this time, Sevilla's attack proved dangerous. Mendilibar's team had a clear objective. Since Roma had congested the middle with two blocks of four, the only real outlet was the wide spaces, which Jesus Navas and Lucas Ocampos exploited fully on the right with one cross after another. Moroccan international En-Nesyri is a natural target of such balls into the box. In all honesty, Sevilla FC were the perfect foil to Mourinho's plan.
What next for Mourinho and Roma?
After his sour departure from Tottenham Hotspur, Jose Mourinho seems to have again found his love for management in the Eternal City. He looks rejuvenated, and there is a real hunger to prove his detractors wrong. So far, his tenure has been a success. He has already led AS Roma to the UEFA Conference League title last season, beating Feyenoord 1-0 in typical fashion.
Finishing sixth in the league, a place in the European competition is guaranteed for the next season. But Mourinho's tactics shall remain the same for the foreseeable future.
