Why AS Roma SACKED Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Roma after two-and-a-half years in charge

Roma confirmed the sacking of manager Jose Mourinho on Tuesday morning.

The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss won the fans over in his first season by winning the Europa Conference League, and led his side to the final of the Europa League last term, before they lost to Sevilla on penalties.

But Roma have fallen away badly in 2023-24 and currently sit ninth in Serie A, forcing the board to step in and relieve Mourinho of his duties.

Mourinho leaves with a record of 60 wins, 30 draws and 40 losses from his 138 games in charge.

He took an average of 1.7 points per game across his tenure, dropping to 1.45 this season, and every point earned by Roma cost the club €3.5m (£3m) when taking into account the salaries of the players and coaches as well as the length of their contracts.

Roma’s total of 29 points from their 20 games this term is their worst return since 2002-03 under Fabio Capello.

So… where has it all gone wrong?

The warning signs were there right from the start of the season when Roma won just one of their first six league games.

Their only victory of this period was a 7-0 thrashing of Empoli, but Mourinho still wasn’t happy after this game as he ranted about his team’s quick turnaround after European matches.

‘We are also a bit unlucky: Atalanta, for example, will play on Thursday and then Monday, but we always play on Thursday and Sunday. Maybe there is someone in the league who doesn’t like me,’ he told reporters.

It appeared the 60-year-old was looking for excuses for his team’s below-par performances, having grown sick of taking the blame for Roma’s shortcomings, but that comprehensive victory should have kickstarted their campaign.

It didn’t. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Torino in their next game and then lost 4-1 at Genoa.

Once again, Mourinho blamed the schedule, injuries and lack of transfer activity at the club rather than taking personal responsibility, while also reminding fans and pundits of his achievements over the past two seasons.

Roma have endured a miserable campaign, and Mourinho has publicly criticised his players on multiple occasions

Mourinho complained about Roma’s transfer activity despite the club bringing in Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku.

His unhappiness with Roma’s transfer business upset American owners, the Friedkin family, who had made it clear that a prudent approach had to be taken in the market due to the club’s financial limitations.

His constant media guerilla warfare began to test the patience of the board, and his touchline behaviour was becoming a real issue.

After being sent off three times last season, he was shown a red card during his side’s 1-0 win over Monza in October for mocking the opposition bench after Stephan El Shaarawy’s late winner.

Mourinho made ‘cry-baby’ gestures towards the Monza dugout, before later explaining that it was a response to them saying ‘nasty words about us’ last season.

That was no use to Roma, though, as he then served a suspension for their clash with leaders Inter Milan, watching them lose 1-0 to the Nerazzurri from the stands.

And his touchline ban did not lead to a change in his attitude towards referees as he launched an astonishing attack on Fabio Maresca after the Inter loss and suggested there was an agenda against his players.

Roma fans became fed up with their manager being sent off on a regular basis

Mourinho sensationally claimed his team lacked professionalism.

Following a 3-1 win against Udinese in late November, Mourinho suggested that some of his players, specifically ex-Manchester United defender Chris Smalling, were not doing enough to make themselves available for matches, once more questioning the attitude of the team.

Mourinho needed a strong end to 2023 to ease some of the pressure but didn’t get it as Roma lost consecutive away games at Bologna and Juventus.

They began 2024 with a Coppa Italia win against Cremonese, but that was as good as it got for Mourinho as he was then sent off in successive games against Atalanta and Lazio.

The Lazio red card was his fifth of the season and came after another insipid performance as Roma exited the Coppa Italia following a 1-0 defeat to their fiercest rivals.

Once more, Mourinho was critical of the officials for awarding Lazio a penalty in the second half, and refused to address his team’s lack of threat in the final third.

Having been adored by the Roma fanbase for much of his time at the helm, supporters had become fed up with losing their manager during games as he struggled to contain his emotions

Daily Mail