José Mourinho was surprisingly appointed as Roma coach in 2021 and was immediately successful at the Stadio Olimpico, but the downfall began this season and defeats against Lazio and Milan determined his departure from the capital.
Roma announced Mourinho’s sacking with an official statement on Tuesday morning and are expected to replace the Portuguese coach with club legend Daniele De Rossi.
Roma appointed Mourinho in 2021, weeks after his sacking from Tottenham. He signed a contract until June 2024 and although he failed to qualify for the Champions League, he won the Conference League in his first season in charge of the Giallorossi. It was Roma’s first-ever trophy at a UEFA level.
The 60-year-old coach won 29 games from 55 in his first season at the club but the Giallorossi’s results in Serie A were disappointing as they only collected 63 points, finishing 6th behind their city rivals Lazio.
Serie A results were just as disappointing in the following campaign when the Giallorossi also collected 63 points finishing sixth, outside a Champions League placement. They reached the Europa League Final, which they controversially lost on penalties to Sevilla.
Mourinho was given a four-match European ban after the game as he strongly criticised English referee Anthony Taylor who had not awarded a penalty kick to the Giallorossi during extra-time. Mourinho even waited for Taylor inside the stadium’s car park, making his discontent clear.
Despite Roma’s inconsistent results, most Giallorossi fans continued to back Mourinho until the end of his tenure.
This past December, they urged the club to offer Mou a new contract, hoping to see the Special One on the Giallorossi bench ‘for life.’
Mourinho also claimed he wanted to extend his expiring contract, saying he had rejected three offers to stay at the Stadio Olimpico, including one from the Portuguese national team.
Roma fans were so excited to see Mourinho on their bench that they sold out the Stadio Olimpico for 36 consecutive matches across all competitions.
They knew that the Special One’s presence at the club had allowed them to sign players such as Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku and despite recent protests following defeats to Lazio and Roma, the coach was never openly blamed by ordinary fans and ultras who labelled Roma players as ‘mercenaries’ after last week’s loss in a Coppa Italia derby.
Tension started to escalate more than a year ago when Mourinho openly blamed a Roma player – Rick Karsdorp – saying that he had ‘betrayed the team’ in a 1-1 draw against Sassuolo.
Mou and Karsdorp cleared the air a few months later as the Dutch defender was not sold in January 2023 and is still part of the squad.
There were more controversial comments from Mou this season. He made headlines this past December when he said he was worried by the referee and Domenico Berardi before another away game at Sassuolo. As a consequence, he and Roma were fined by the FIGC and funds were donated to charity. Mourinho escaped a ban that time but missed 16 Roma matches across all competitions due to suspensions during his reign at the Stadio Olimpico.
Last week’s defeat against Lazio in Coppa Italia was the beginning of the end for the Special One, who lost four games from six against Roma’s city rivals since his appointment in 2021, winning just once in March 2022. Roma have not scored a goal against Lazio in any of their last three meetings across all competitions.
Sunday’s loss against Milan was Mourinho’s last game in charge of Roma, even if the Special One was suspended at San Siro and replaced by his assistant Salvatore Foti, who was nearly in tears when he arrived at Trigoria on Tuesday morning following Roma’s official announcement.
Roma are currently outside a European placement in Serie A as they sit 9th with 29 points, five below fourth-placed Fiorentina. They have the third-highest wage bill in Serie A after Juventus and Inter, so club owners expected better results this season, seeing a Champions League qualification as a key target for 2023-24.
During his last press conference as a Roma coach, Mou compared himself to Harry Potter saying that his presence at the club had raised expectations.
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