Why Coppa Italia exit could be a blessing in disguise for Mourinho and AS Roma

Roma were beaten 2-0 by Inter Milan on Tuesday evening when Mourinho returned to his former club. Despite receiving a warm reception, Inter were merciless against the Portuguese’s side.

It took just two minutes for the Serie A leaders to open the scoring after Edin Dzeko took advantage of some schoolboy defending from Roma to tap the ball home. And despite Roma improving their performance in the second half, it was still not enough as Alexis Sanchez sealed a 2-0 victory for Inter.

Roma out of Coppa Italia

Roma never stood a chance of winning the league and their current position goes to affirm that. However, their chances of winning silverware lay in the cup competitions.

As it stands, though, they are out of the Coppa Italia and must now focus on the Europa Conference League, where they finished top of their group.

Mourinho has been open about the lack of depth in his squad, which leaves the Portuguese manager without the luxury of rotating his starting line-up.

Fielding almost the same line-up for every game has taken its toll, with Tammy Abraham battling an injury at the moment. Teenager Felix Afena-Gyan has also been drafted into the first team despite his relative lack of experience at senior level.

Against Inter in the Coppa Italia, Roma were clearly second best and just couldn’t match the quality of Simone’s side.

A blessing in disguise?

Roma have now failed to win each of their last two matches, but their exit from the Coppa Italia could be a blessing in disguise.

This is because they already have a thin squad and they can now prioritize qualifying for the top four and competing in the UEFA Conference League.

“The relationship I have with Inter and its people is eternal, that cannot be denied,” Mourinho said after his side’s defeat, as quoted by SB Nation.

“But I came here tonight to win, I’m here for my Roma and my people now are the Roma fans. We were not able to win the game.”

“We shouldn’t forget the first five minutes but, if I could somehow block those five minutes from my mind, I would say that Roma played really well against a side that it is not easy to play well against.”

Roma are six points behind fourth-placed Juventus in Serie A and, although their chances of grabbing a Champions League place are slim, it is still very achievable.

The good thing is that while their rivals will have their attention divided on competing in the league and cup, Mourinho and his side can now fully focus on finishing in the top-four.