The Giallorossi beat Empoli 2-1 with goals from Dybala and Abraham. Here is how coach Mourinho commented on the success on the Empoli pitch.
What weight do you give to this success?
"We lost the last league game. And if we want to be more dramatic, we lost the last two games, and to lose a third would have been emotionally and mathematically difficult, because they were three points you needed in the league.
It's a good team, a team that was already playing well and is now playing well and has other quality players. A difficult match, where you can't give away as much as we did, both defensively in the first half and in the goal opportunities we created.
After 2-1 we had not only the penalty, but also other balls to close the game out, and after that the game was never ending: the 7 minutes of extra time for a team that is winning 2-1 seems like an eternity. But after two defeats, it was important for us to win. Now we think about Thursday".
Has anything changed in the way Roma's attacking pack play?
"It has changed because of Paulo's 'fault'. He's a player of an incredible level. And playing with Paulo obviously makes Lorenzo's (Pellegrini, ed.) position change a bit, and without Zaniolo even more, because without Zaniolo we lack a bit of depth: he's a player who plays deeper, he's a player who risks more in individual duels, who wants the ball in space, who attacks space, who is more powerful than his opponents. Lorenzo can play in different areas. When we are missing one, we are already in trouble. And then, in the last game, Tammy was also missing.
It is difficult to create great collective dynamics. However, I always say that Tammy has the potential to do more: what we see is good, he is an important player for us, but he can give more".
(Photo LaPresse)
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Source: legaseriea.it