In the Europa League clash between Slavia Prague and Roma, the home team emerged victorious, adding more complications to the pre-Rome derby dispute. Despite indirectly agreeing with Sarri’s statement that the encounter with Slavia was like a friendly match, Mourinho emphasized the importance of the official competition, only to see his team betray him with a lackluster attitude. The 2-0 defeat will now require the Giallorossi to put in extra effort to progress to the knockout stages without the safety net of the Champions League playoffs.
According to BBC Sport, Mourinho stated, “From an individual point of view, very few had the right and correct attitude of professionalism as I like it, many did not have the correct attitude for a serious match, with concrete objectives. Only Bove did not deserve to lose, but if only a 20-year-old has the right attitude, you can’t make it.” (*Source: BBC Sport*)
The Expected Goals, which are rarely exactly equivalent to the final score, this time produced it (obviously removing the decimals), a clear statistical condemnation for Roma: 2.11-0.35. Slavia also had more than triple the attempts of their opponents, 18 shots against 5, including zero attempts in the first 45 minutes, a trend that had already occurred in the recent match against Inter at San Siro.
In response to Mourinho’s assessment, La Gazzetta dello Sport disagreed, noting that Bove deserved only a slight inadequacy, while goalkeeper Svilar deserved a 6 for his performance. However, the publication gave Mourinho a low assessment, stating, “The accusations against the team are not enough. It is not the first time that Roma plays passively. Zero shots in the first 45 minutes are a serious accusation.” (*Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport*)