Jose Mourinho's ups and downs with AS Roma

Jose Mourinho is a manager who is never going to generate simple opinions because of his controversial personality and divisive playing style. However, he has become known for getting results in the game and instilling a never-say-attitude to his teams when things click, hence why he also has such rabid support from his fans.

Therefore, when the Portuguese arrived at AS Roma in the summer of 2021, it seemed that it was a fitting combination for both parties. The Italian side needed someone to instill a winning mentality to a historically underachieving institution and Mourinho needed to get his groove back after recent failures in England.

However, while things started quite well, everything quickly took a turn for the worse.

The context

It is easy to look back at the summer of 2021 and understand why this union made so much sense. AS Roma had been languishing in mid-table positions for a while in Serie A and ended the 2020/21 season in seventh place, with Portuguese manager Paulo Fonseca struggling to make an impact with this side.

Moreover, Jose Mourinho had been coaching Tottenham Hotspurs in the English Premier League for the better part of a year and was sacked in the middle of the season after getting eliminated in most cup competitions. The legendary manager achieved a Carabao Cup (EFL League Cup) final but didn't get the chance to coach the match, which is still a topic of discussion among Spurts and Mourinho supporters.

Therefore, Roma needed a new lease of life and Mourinho needed a comeback after negative stints with Manchester United and Tottenham. It seemed like a fitting combination and, in hindsight, something positive came out of it.

The good moments

Perhaps one of the most notorious elements of Mourinho's tenure at Roma was his connection with the supporters. After such divisive stints with United and Tottenham, the Portuguese truly formed a strong connection with the supporters of the Italian side, to the point that they usually tended to side with him when he had issues with players.

Tammy Abraham

Moreover, one of the Portuguese's key signings in the summer of 2021 was English striker Tammy Abraham, who arrived from recent UEFA Champions League winners, Chelsea. While is fair to say that Abraham didn't repeat the exploits of his 2021-22 season, his 27 goals in 53 games across all competitions proved to be pivotal for the club's success, which was the UEFA Conference League.

There are claims that this is a small trophy but is also worth pointing out that this is the first European competition that Roma has won in its entire history. The Italian side managed to edge out Eredivisie team Feyenoord thanks to a goal by Nicolo Zaniolo, thus leading to a major milestone for everyone involved.

This was not only a trophy for Mourinho and his project but also made him the first manager to win the Conference League, Europa League, and Champions League. It was also that bought him some time after the struggles he went through in the league and made his connections with the fans even stronger since it meant that he had already provided a degree of success.

Another highlight of this stint was his ability to convince former Juventus starlet Paulo Dybala to join his team in the summer of 2022. The Argentinian went back to his best in the 2022-23 season and proved to be a difference-maker for the team, helping them reach the Europa League final they lost to Sevilla in penalties.

When it comes to cup competitions and getting the most out of certain players, Mourinho certainly delivered. However, if everything was that good, he would still be coaching that team.

The bad moments

Perhaps the biggest reason why Mourinho's time at Roma is ultimately perceived as a failure is because he didn't manage to have the team compete in the league. That is an interesting element to consider since the Portuguese is yet to reach the top four of a major European league since 2018 and is yet to win one since 2015. Therefore, this has been a chronic issue of his career in recent times.

Roma got two sixth-place positions during Mourinho's two full seasons at the club and that was after the ownership had provided some significant investment. The Italian side was the club in Serie A that spent the most money during the 2021 transfer window but the team barely competed in the league.

Disciplinary issues were also a major problem of his tenure, with the Portuguese manager missed 16 matches because of suspensions. Mourinho had no problem arguing with referees, both on and off the pitch, which proved to cause him a lot of issues throughout his time in Italy.

There were also a lot of problems with the players, which has been a constant throughout his career. Coupled with the lack of results, it was a formula for disaster.

Conclusion

While he had his high points with the institution, it is difficult to look back at Mourinho's time with Roma as anything other than a failure. The team struggled to compete beyond two outstanding European competitions but the return on investment wasn't there for the ownership, which proved to be the Portuguese's downfall.

However, his success in the UEFA Conference League is probably going to mean a lot for the supporters since it was a historical achievement. Moreover, it was a vintage Mourinho-team performance in the final, which is probably the dying embers of the legendary manager's winning mentality.