Roma loses to Naples, Mourinho not convinced

In the 11th round of Serie A, there was a strong dialogue in the early morning of October 24, and Roma lost to Naples 0-1 at home. The famous coach Spalletti led Naples to 11 consecutive victories in official games, including 7 Serie A and 4 Champions League group matches.

Mourinho not convinced

Roma’s offensive soul, Dybala, continued to be absent due to injury. Coach Mourinho sent a double forward combination of Zaniolo and Abraham, and the captain Pellegrini served as the midfield commander. Napoli continued to use a 4-3-3 formation, with Kvarac Helia, Osinghen and Lozano partnering the striker.

Naples turned against the visitors, and midfielder Ndombele broke into the penalty area in the 37th minute and was knocked down by Roma goalkeeper Patricio. The referee initially awarded a penalty kick, but after watching the video replay, the penalty kick was cancelled.

Abraham was active and Mourinho replaced him with Belotti midway through the second half. The deadlock was not broken until the 80th minute: Politano’s long pass from the bench caused Roma’s central defender Smalling to make a mistake in making a clearance, and Ossingen volleyed the goal from a small angle to score the only goal of the game.

Roma captain Pellegrini performed mediocre. It seems that he will not play after leaving Dybala. This game is full of injuries. Mourinho said after the game: “Pellegrini asked me to be substituted, but I did not agree, this time he is still a problem with flexor discomfort.”

Roma’s three-game winning streak in Serie A was ended, Mourinho was not convinced: “I congratulate Napoli, even though I feel they are not worthy of winning, and I also congratulate my team for not playing enough to lose. Ratti is a good guy and a good referee, but he didn’t give a good call today, but that’s life, we all have bad days.”

Italian coach Capello, who served as a TV commentator, questioned Mourinho’s substitution: “I think it was a mistake to replace Abraham, he made a lot of trouble, and he kept Napoli’s midfield and backfield very busy by himself. “To be honest, if it were me, I wouldn’t take him off the pitch.”