Mourinho disappointed with Roma player.

Czech coach Jose Mourinho criticized the fighting spirit of the entire Roma team, except for 21-year-old midfielder Edoardo Bove, in their 0-2 defeat away to Slavia Prague in the fourth matchday of Group G of the Europa League.

"Roma lacked everything today," Mourinho said after the match at the Sinobo Stadium. "I don't want to say much, and neither does anyone else. This result is completely deserved, both positively for Slavia Prague and negatively for us."

Playing away in the Czech Republic, Roma put in a lackluster performance, controlling only 40% of the possession and failing to register a single shot in the first half. The Italian capital club improved their game in the second half, but still only managed two shots on target.

Mourinho at the press conference after Roma's defeat to Slavia Prague in the fourth matchday of Group G of the Europa League on November 9th. Photo: asroma.it

The visitors' first chance came in the 52nd minute, when Andrea Belotti broke into the penalty area and fired a low left-footed shot that was comfortably saved by Ales Mandous. In the 66th minute, Zeki Celik broke through three Slavia Prague players in midfield, but his right-footed shot was denied by the home goalkeeper.

On the opposite side, Slavia Praha played brilliantly, taking 19 shots – almost four times more than Roma's 5, with seven on target and scoring two goals thanks to Lukas Masopust and Vaclav Jurecka.

Mourinho anticipated difficulties by leaving Bryan Cristante and Paulo Dybala out, but he didn't expect his players to perform so poorly. The "Special One" believes only Edoardo Bove – who played the full 90 minutes – showed the fighting spirit and desire he desired. "I only liked Bove's performance, the 21-year-old, but he alone wasn't enough to help Roma win. All the players deserved to be beaten tonight except Bove," the Portuguese coach emphasized.

On the Sinobo Stadium pitch on November 9th, Bove touched the ball 58 times, completed 78% of his passes with one key pass, won seven duels, won two aerial challenges, and was fouled four times. The 21-year-old midfielder also scored the fastest goal in Roma's UEFA Cup history, opening the scoring just 43 seconds into their 2-0 home win against Slavia Prague at the Olimpico on October 26th.

Bove (number 52) vies for the ball during the 0-2 defeat against Slavia Praha on November 9th. Photo: asroma.it

Similarly, striker Andrea Belotti was unhappy with the team's spirit. "I think Roma lacked the right attitude on the pitch and should have done better both with and without the ball," the Italian center forward admitted. "We hardly did anything in the first half. This is a big problem when playing at this level. I don't think it's a matter of fitness or fatigue, but rather the wrong attitude."

Yesterday's defeat cost Roma their control over the race for the top spot in Group G. Roma and Slavia Prague are tied on head-to-head record, both having won 2-0 at home, and both have nine points, but the Czech Republic side is ahead on goal difference. Mourinho's team must win convincingly in their final two matches against Servette on November 30th and Sheriff on December 14th, and hope Slavia Prague slips up or scores few goals to reclaim the top spot.

If they finish second in the group, Roma will have to play two play-off matches against a team from the group of third-placed clubs relegated from the Champions League, as was the case last season. If they finish third, Mourinho's team will drop down to the Europa Conference League – the same league they won in 2021.

Hong Duy

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