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The unpredictability of football is the one thing that keeps the game interesting. At the start of the year, Jose Mourinho and AS Roma were going through a tough period with no solution in sight.
When the Portuguese manager sat at press conferences and took aim at journalists, it was interpreted as a sign of his last few days in Rome. However, Mourinho has managed to dig himself out of that poor run, with the Giallorossi back challenging for a place in Europe.
Wins over Atalanta and Spezia set Roma on a different path. and they also got the better of Vitesse in the Europa Conference League playoffs. Even better, Roma thrashed Lazio 3-0 in the Rome derby before following that up with victory over Sampdoria.
AS Roma unbeaten in 9 games
Mourinho's side have now gone over a month without tasting defeat – the last time Roma lost a game was on February 2 against Inter Milan. Since then, the Giallorossi have turned their campaign around with a series of consistent performances in Serie A and in Europe.
Their latest win against Sampdoria saw Roma extend their unbeaten run to nine games in all competitions, conceding just six times. If there was any doubt Mourinho would succeed at Roma, they’ve all been cleared now, with the team playing its best football in years.
AS Roma and Mourinho in sync
Mourinho’s decision to join Roma came as a surprise to many fans and pundits. However, after struggling at some top clubs in recent years, the Portuguese manager needed such a job to relaunch his career.
He might have nothing to prove, having won it all, but reviving Roma will go a long way towards mending his waning reputation as a top manager. Thankfully, he's overachieving with the Giallorossi. Despite the limited resources at his disposal, Mourinho has guided Roma to a respectable fifth position in Serie A and just five points behind fourth-placed Juventus.
“It was a tough game. Giampaolo’s teams are organised and have their philosophy,” the Roma boss said after his side’s win against Sampdoria, as quoted by Romapress.
He added:
“But the culture in Rome is that you’re in heaven if you win the Derby, and it’s disaster if you don’t–thankfully we managed to keep our feet on the ground. The most important thing was winning tonight, and we did so. Perhaps we could’ve done better to add a second goal, but we still managed the game really well.”
AS Roma’s European hopes are very much alive. More than just securing a Europa League spot, the Giallorossi are primed to challenge Juventus for a UEFA Champions League place. Mourinho and his players are finally in sync, and it shows in the team’s improved results.
