AS Roma's Jose Mourinho, dubbed 'the Special One,' has run out of magic

Jose Mourinho will be the first to tell you how highly he thinks of himself. Look no further than the pre-match press conference before his Roma side fell to AC Milan, 3-1, on Jan. 14. 

"But this is us. This is Roma," Mourinho said. "With the most incredible fans I've ever seen. With a coach whose name alone makes people think he's Jose Harry Mourinho Potter and not Jose Mourinho Felix, whose name immediately raises expectations and demands."

The reality is, though, that whatever magic he initially brought to Roma upon his arrival has long vanished. Sunday's loss left them ninth in Serie A on 29 points from 20 matches — four off Europa Conference and Europa League qualification, five off Championship League qualification, and 22 points adrift from league-leading Inter Milan. They've won just two of their previous seven matches, a stretch that's included a Coppa Italia Quarterfinal defeat to rivals Lazio as well as consecutive early dismissals for the manager himself.  

Dig a little deeper, and there hasn't been too much magic to begin with. In 137 matches as Roma boss, Mourinho's side has won 68 of them, a percentage of only 49.6%. Yes, he has overseen consecutive European Finals — a Europa Conference League triumph in May 2022, ending the club's 14-year trophy drought, followed by a Europa League Final defeat to Sevilla the following May.

Now sure, they can reach a third consecutive European Final this season. After all, the Europa League knockout rounds commence in February with a trip to Rotterdam, Netherlands to take on Feyenoord, the very side they defeated to win a trophy two seasons ago. To say it is likely, however, feels like a stretch. And when taking a step back, Mourinho's overall body of work at Roma doesn't paint the most flattering of pictures.

When "The Special One" took charge in May 2021, replacing Paulo Fonseca, Roma had just finished seventh in Serie A on 62 points. Here's how they've fared since:

• 2021-22: 6th; 63 points
• 2022-23: 6th; 63 points
• 2023-24: 9th; 29 points (20 of 38 matches played)

Whether one considers the Europa Conference League prestigious or not, for some, a trophy is a trophy and therefore, rationalizing Mourinho's position as manager of a club becomes easier to do. Roma's financial limitations shouldn't be ignored either. In September 2022, the club was fined €35 million for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations. Even still, what is the endgame here? To what new heights has he brought the club?

In each of Mourinho's two full seasons in charge, his side has managed to finish only one point better off than Fonseca's final term. This time around, the club is on pace for fewer than 60 points, which means barring a rapid turnaround or another deep European run, it'll be Roma's most disappointing campaign since 2011-12 when they finished seventh on 56 points.

That isn't to say that when Mourinho inevitably does leave Roma, he won't have another job waiting for him. His name and presence alone still generate plenty of buzz. But for a man who hasn't overseen a league-winning campaign since guiding Chelsea to a Premier League title in 2014-15, "The Special One" is a moniker of the past. And Roma is finding out just how painful that final chapter can be.