José Mourinho

A 1-0 loss on the night meant a 3-2 aggregate triumph that famously persuaded Mourinho to cavort boisterously across the Camp Nou turf.

Inter would go on to complete a stunning treble in 2009-10, sweeping all before them in Italy and beating Bayern Munich in that season's European final.

It was Mourinho's second title in Europe's top competition after he masterminded Porto's unlikely march to glory in 2003-04 – a success that set up one of the most celebrated coaching careers of the 21st century.

Here, we look at some of the inimitable Portuguese's greatest games in the competition that launched him to prominence.

MANCHESTER UNITED 1-1 PORTO (2004)

Mourinho probably doesn't often ponder the importance of Tim Howard when assessing his decorated career. But, if the USA international had gathered Benny McCarthy's free-kick during injury time at Old Trafford, a defining chain of events in early 20th century football would not have unfolded as it did.

Trailing 2-1 due to a McCarthy brace in the first leg, United edged ahead of the UEFA Cup holders on away goals through Paul Scholes' first-half header. From that point until the dying moments, the young Mourinho looked like simply becoming the latest bright young victim of Alex Ferguson in Europe.

But Howard fumbled, collided with his post and could do nothing as Costinho converted the rebound. Overcoat flapping in the Manchester night, off Mourinho tore down the touchline. Porto were into the quarter-finals and would go on to win the whole thing, dismissing Monaco 3-0 in the final. That sent Mourinho to Chelsea, where he declared himself to be a "Special One" at his unveiling news conference.

CHELSEA 4-2 BARCELONA (2005)

Despite winning back-to-back Premier League titles during his first spell at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho was unable to conquer Europe with Chelsea. However, this stirring, rollercoaster affair in west London will continue to live long in the memory.

Nursing a 2-1 deficit from a first leg doused in acrimony – the flames of which were fanned by Mourinho himself – Chelsea set about their illustrious opponents in riotous fashion. Eidur Gudjohnsen, Frank Lampard and Damien Duff made light of Didier Drogba's suspension to have the Blues 3-0 up inside 19 minutes.

Ronaldinho then reduced the deficit with an impudent touch of genius at the edge of the box and the Brazilian magician's penalty meant Barca were ahead on away goals before the break. Petr Cech had to produce heroics to keep the Blaugrana at bay during the second period before John Terry decisively powered home Duff's 76th-minute corner.

INTER 3-1 BARCELONA (2010)

The glorious nuisance value of the former Barca employee frustrating the club who turned him down in 2008 means 10-man Inter scraping through in Catalonia is the defining memory of this semi-final. However, as in the Chelsea triumph above, Mourinho showed his teams could combine thrill and efficiency during the initial encounter at San Siro.

Pep Guardiola's reigning European champions had to travel to Milan by coach due to the disruption to European air travel caused by the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland and the resulting volcanic ash cloud. Pedro's opening goal suggested Barcelona were fully up to speed, only for the Nerazzurri to comprehensively outplay them.

Wesley Sneijder, enjoying the season of his career, levelled and Maicon gave Inter an early second-half lead. Diego Milito set up both those goals before making it 3-1. The Argentina forward would also be Inter's final hero, netting a brace to down Bayern at the Santiago Bernabeu – Mourinho's next port of call.

REAL MADRID 3-2 MANCHESTER CITY (2012)

Mourinho's capacity for irritating Barcelona undoubtedly played a part in his Madrid appointment and his stock was never higher than after Inter conquered all. He failed to scale those heights in the Spanish capital, however, with semi-final defeats a feature of each of his three seasons at the helm.

In the last of those seasons, Madrid kicked off their bid for glory in thrilling fashion against Manchester City in the group stage. After a circumspect and goalless first half, the Premier League champions twice led through Edin Dzeko and Aleksandar Kolarov. Marcelo and Karim Benzema swiftly cancelled the deficit each time, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo to thrash home a last-gasp winner – prompting another on-field celebration from a knee-sliding Mourinho.

CHELSEA 2–0 PSG (2014)

A second spell at Chelsea yielded one more Premier League title and ended in deep disappointment after an alarming start to the 2015-16 season. Before all that unfolded, he was off and down the touchline once more as the Blues dramatically sank Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.

Staring at a 3-1 deficit from the first leg of the quarter-final tie, Chelsea battled back to prevail on away goals. Losing Eden Hazard to injury early on looked to have stacked the odds too heavily against the hosts but Andre Schurrle, on in place of the Belgium star, reduced the arrears.

Another unlikely hero from the bench, Demba Ba, bundled home three minutes from time to spark scenes of delirium. Unfortunately for Chelsea, they ran into Diego Simeone's formidable Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals and PSG earned revenge in the round of 16 the following season.

JUVENTUS 1-2 MANCHESTER UNITED (2018)

Mourinho's United reign had arguably already suffered the blow from which it would never recover during the previous season's Champions League, when Sevilla saw off their limp challenge at Old Trafford.

However, this group stage encounter offered hints of what might have been. Ronaldo thumped a stunning over-the-shoulder volley past David de Gea to give Juve a 65th-minute lead that remained intact until Juan Mata's delightful free-kick leveller with five to play.

Juventus were rattled and Leonardo Bonucci put Ashley Young's free-kick through his own goal. Ex-Inter boss Mourinho revelled in the celebrations, cupping his ear to the home supporters from the field. A month later, he was out of a job after United lost to Liverpool at Anfield.

The Tottenham head coach believes stadiums would not feel empty even if supporters were not allowed to attend games amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Spurs have nine top-flight matches still to play and have not played since a Champions League defeat to RB Leipzig on March 10.

"If we play the remaining nine matches this season it will be good for every one of us," Mourinho said to Sky Sports.

"It will be good for football, for the Premier League.

"If we play football behind closed doors I'd like to think that football is never behind closed doors. 

"With cameras, it means that millions and millions are watching. So if one day we walk into this empty stadium, it will not be empty, not at all."

The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss was also asked about Thursday marking 15 years since he won his first Premier League title.

Mourinho added: "I prefer to think that I'm going to have a fourth Premier League trophy. I have three, I prefer to think I'll have four."

To assist in the fight against COVID-19, Mourinho has also been volunteering to help deliver fresh produce from the club's training ground to Spurs' stadium, where it is sent out to the local community.

The 57-year-old been living with three of his coaching staff during the lockdown and while they spend most of the day working, he has had the opportunity to watch some old matches.

"I miss football, but I prefer to say I miss our world, like I think we all do," he said.

"Football is just part of my world. But we have to be patient, this is a fight that we all have to fight.

"Time flies [during lockdown]… I’m watching matches I never did in my life."

Asked about the cooking arrangements during lockdown, Mourinho replied: "The other guys are a bit better than I am! I'm the fried egg specialist."

Fabregas, now 33 and playing for Monaco, has been one of European football's most recognisable midfielders since breaking into the Arsenal first-team as a 16-year-old in 2003.

His emergence as one of the world's best saw him switch back to Barcelona – whom he had represented as a child – in 2011 and he played under club icon Guardiola, winning six trophies across three seasons.

It was around this time that the Clasico divide with Real Madrid was arguably at its most vociferous in a generation, stoked by off-pitch – and occasional mid-match – barbs thrown by either Guardiola or his Los Blancos counterpart Mourinho.

But despite the fierce backdrop of the Clasicos of this era, which were said to have led to issues within the Spanish national team, Fabregas was ultimately lured away from Barca in 2014 by Mourinho and Chelsea.

"Mourinho was the one who inspired me the most to leave Barca," Fabregas explained to Tot Costa.

"He told me that we had them on the pitch when he was at Chelsea and I at Arsenal, and then when he was training for Real Madrid and I was at Barcelona, ​​but for him it all ended there.

"He told me about his project. I prioritised the professional side, and today I continue to write with him and consider him a friend, he helped me a lot at the time and maybe with him I played one of my best seasons."

It is easy to see why Fabregas feels such a way – in his year and a half under Mourinho, who was sacked in December 2015, the Spaniard was highly influential and won the 2014-15 Premier League title.

He attempted more passes (3,832) than anyone else in the Premier League during this time, while his 3,238 completed passes was not matched by anyone.

On top of that, he also recorded a league-high 20 assists and 4,698 ball touches in this period, highlighting his importance.

Similarly, his 120 chances created was bettered by only three players.

But Fabregas' time working with Guardiola did not inspire the same kind of friendship despite previously idolising the former midfielder.

"With Guardiola, I have not spoken again," he said. "There are things that happened that I do not have to talk about.

"He was my idol in my childhood, perhaps he is the person from whom I have learned the most as a player, as an idol and later as a coach, but that's it."

Playing in their first continental showpiece since losing the 1984 European Cup final to Liverpool, Nicolo Zaniolo scored the only goal for the Giallorossi, poking the ball home in the 32nd minute after chesting down Gianluca Mancini's ball over the top of the defence.

The victory in Tirana gave the Serie A club their first major European trophy.

In his first season at Roma, Mourinho has now emulated Giovanni Trapattoni's feat of winning a European trophy in three separate decades.

Despite famously leaving in the following off-season after winning the Champions League with Porto and Inter, the 59-year-old asserted he wants to stay and build on this success in the Italian capital.

"I remain, even if some voice or offer arrives," Mourinho said. "I want to stay in Rome and we need to understand what our owners want to do in the next season because we can follow up on this story, we must define the direction for the next season.

"I feel like a Roma player, like I feel like an Inter fan, a Chelsista, I'm crazy about Real Madrid, but for all due respect for the clubs I have worked for, I feel 100 per cent Roma.

"The beautiful thing about my career beyond winning with Manchester United, winning with Porto, Inter and now with Roma is something special. Winning when everyone expects it is easy, while it is special to win when you do something truly historic. I hope the fans wait for us and celebrate with us all."

In distinct Mourinho fashion, the Giallorossi were able to absorb pressure once they took the lead, only holding 33 per cent of possession over the 90 minutes.

Feyenoord could do very little in breaking Roma down, generating only three shots from open play in the penalty area in the match, despite how much of the ball they had.

For Mourinho and Roma, the Conference League had become a priority and he was pleased this trophy had not c1ome at the expense of domestic ambitions.

"There are so many things going on in my head right now," he said. "I have been in Rome for 11 months and I immediately understood where I was.

"As I told the boys, in Turin in the locker room, we did what we had to do, our job. But today it wasn't work, it was history and we wrote history. The Conference League is a competition that we thought we could win from the start, slowly becoming stronger and stronger and we met stronger and stronger teams.

"But we were aiming for it and sacrificed a few points in the league without losing qualification for the Europa League."

Roma snapped up Argentina international Dybala on a three-year contract on Wednesday after his deal with Juventus expired. 

Totti made 786 appearances and scored 307 goals in a 25-year career with the Giallorossi that came to an end at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season. The club has not had a number 10 since then. 

Dybala was grateful to be offered the chance to wear the shirt but felt it should remain Totti's. However, he did not rule out donning it in future. 

"I spoke to the general manager and he asked if I wanted to take number 10, which of course is so significant here because of everything Francesco Totti did," Dybala said in a club interview. 

"I think that shirt and that number should remain his because of what he means to the city and the fans. I thanked him because wearing a shirt like that requires a lot of respect and responsibility. 

"I still see it as his shirt. Maybe I'll wear it one day but for now I'm happy to have number 21, which is the number I wore when I first started to be successful. Hopefully I'll now start being successful here too." 

Jose Mourinho steered Roma to their first trophy since 2008 by winning the Europa Conference League last season and Dybala wants to help them push for more silverware. 

The five-time Scudetto winner is looking forward to working alongside Mourinho, who he considers to be one of the all-time great coaches. 

"First of all, I want to get into peak shape so that I'm on a par with the other players mentally and physically and help the team doing my job. I want to help this team to carry on winning, with the mentality they acquired last season thanks to the coach, and with my own experience. 

"Of course, the World Cup is around the corner so I'll be doing my absolute best to help this team and reach the tournament in the best shape possible, then hopefully be in the mix for some silverware at the end of the season." 

He added: "Everyone knows who Mourinho is, what he's achieved in the game and what he can do. It was an exciting conversation and we spoke for a long time. It was a very nice chat. 

"I've been fortunate to play with some of the greatest players of all time and now I'll get to work with one of the greatest coaches of all time." 

Jose Mourinho's side have been in erratic form in the Premier League and they showed little improvement at the Riverside Stadium, where Ashley Fletcher scored his fourth goal in five games to give Boro the lead early in the second half.

Boro boss Jonathan Woodgate's hopes of claiming a Premier League scalp against one of his former teams were dented as Lucas headed Spurs back on terms 11 minutes later, but the Championship club's supporters will not begrudge him a grand day out at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the replay.

A troublesome afternoon for Mourinho saw midfielder Harry Winks suffer a suspected ankle injury, but it is defensive lapses and an apparent lack of confidence that should most concern the Spurs boss.

Christian Eriksen kept his place in the Tottenham team amid reports linking him with a transfer to Inter and he went close to scoring after seven minutes, his shot from 20 yards hitting Boro keeper Tomas Mejias in the chest.

Tottenham were on top until Dael Fry's powerful downward header produced a goal-line save by Paulo Gazzaniga, Middlesbrough's counter-attacks proving more threatening than Spurs' periods of pressure against a packed home defence.

The second half was five minutes old when George Saville's chipped pass put Fletcher in behind the Tottenham defence and the former West Ham forward clipped the ball over Gazzaniga, who got a hand to it but could not keep it out.

However, the equaliser provided a reminder of Boro's defensive frailties, Serge Aurier crossing to the far post where the diminutive figure of Lucas was allowed to head into the net unchallenged.

Fletcher stung Gazzaniga's palms with a side-footed drive from the edge of the box as Spurs wobbled in the last 20 minutes, while substitute Erik Lamela and Lucas both had shots well saved by Mejias at the other end, but neither side could force a winner in a tense finish.

What does it mean? No win in three for Mourinho

Whether or not Spurs embark on a lengthy cup run, they must address an erratic run of form that has seen them win just one of their last five games in all competitions.

For long periods Tottenham were matched by a team that endured a 10-game winless Championship run between September and November, and the improvement the Premier League's sixth-placed team eventually delivered did little to gloss over their shortcomings all over the pitch.

Fletcher keeps spirits high at the Riverside

Boro are one of the Championship's form teams and Fletcher's goals have been key to their resurgence after a torrid start to the season. The 24-year-old furthered his already glowing reputation with a cool finish and a first-rate performance here.

Captain Howson not quite the finished article

Jonny Howson's conversion from midfield to defence has added composure to the rearguard but he was guilty of slack marking when Lucas drifted in to score.

What's next?

Boro will hope to extend their four-game Championship winning streak when they entertain Derby County on Saturday, while Tottenham attempt to put the brakes on Liverpool's title charge as the Premier League leaders travel to North London.

Defeats to Milan and Venezia before the international break, either side of a draw with Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League, came as a jolt to the Giallorossi.

They had previously won six of their first 10 Serie A matches of the campaign, with Mourinho making a strong start to his second club job in Italy, after a triumphant spell as Inter boss over a decade ago.

Now Roma face the challenge of building momentum afresh, starting on Sunday when they travel Genoa.

Pinto was pivotal in bringing Mourinho to Roma and is confident the former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United boss will lead the club to great success.

It has been a feature of their collaboration that Pinto and Mourinho have stressed there is a Roma "project", and it is one that could take years to come to fruition.

Although Mourinho has previously had a reputation for quickly building a winning team, from day one it has been a different concept with Roma.

"He has built this image over time, because fortunately he has coached the biggest clubs in the world and maybe these teams do not have the time, the project and the strategy of Roma," Pinto told Sky Sport Italia.

"But it would not have been possible to have a coach like Mourinho without this strategy. All the time he spends with the Roma youth team confirms that he is totally aligned with us.

"We cannot create an instant team like other teams do and this is not a criticism, but a truth. Mourinho is not only aware of this, but he is also aligned and the work he is doing proves this more than my word."

Mourinho has given chances to young players, but he has also pointed to the weakness of his squad beyond the core of the first team, particularly in the wake of a 6-1 away loss to Bodo/Glimt.

Roma sit sixth in Serie A after 12 games but are already 13 points behind Napoli and Milan, and Mourinho said after the shock loss to Venezia that he felt his squad was no stronger than last season's pool of players, despite a major transfer window overhaul.

He also said this season could prove "a painful one for body and soul".

Pinto said that Roma's studied effort to gradually build up the team "doesn't mean we don't want to win", as he explained the signing of England striker Tammy Abraham from Chelsea.

"Maybe we confused people because we took Abraham, who is young but a great player," Pinto said. "But we don't want to make an instant team, we want to work in all areas and improve every day and in every transfer window."

That final comment may indicate Roma will move again in the market in January, backing Mourinho by listening to his comments about where the squad is still falling short.

"Mourinho is important to us. We took him because his experience, his intelligence and his leadership were perfect to develop this three-year project of a change of mentality, reconstruction of the squad and development and improvement of all players," Pinto added. "And I must say, after four months, that the choice was right and that he will be one of the most important coaches in the history of Roma."

There are already signs of substantial improvement at Roma, when balancing this term's performances against those of last season.

When it comes to committing errors leading to shots by the opposition, in 2020-21 Roma were allowing 0.71 per Serie A game, but that has come down to 0.42 this season.

Roma are having 18.5 shots per game, compared to 14.34 under Paulo Fonseca last term. They are creating 14.5 chances per game, a step up from 10.76 in 2020-21.

If their big-chance conversion rate had not fallen away, from 41.35 per cent in 2020-21 to 32.14 per cent, the season might have begun in even brighter fashion.

Passes played into the box have shot up (28.24 to 33.33 per game), while the aerial challenges won/loss ratio is a healthier 175:141 so far under Mourinho after last season's 461:443 split, a sign his slowly-slowly revolution in Rome is taking effect.

Mourinho's side booked their place in the quarter-finals with Thursday's triumph, courtesy of Paulo Dybala's 64th-minute winner, setting up a clash with the winner of the Napoli-Cremonese Round of 16 encounter.

But the Portuguese legend was damning of the Coppa Italia format in light of Torino's upset 1-0 extra-time win over Milan on Wednesday, which saw them progress to the last eight where they will face Fiorentina away.

"First of all, I'll say I would love to win it, I won it once playing against Roma, I would love to win it playing with Roma in Rome," Mourinho told Sportmediaset.

"I think it's the worst cup in Europe, it doesn't protect the smaller teams. It doesn't put on a show.

"I'm talking about Torino for example who win on the pitch of the Italian champions Milan, then they have to play the next elimination game away from home, I don't understand this structure of the Coppa Italia.

"We played against a Serie B team with a full stadium, if there are empty stadiums they must understand why we are full and the others are not.

"Last year we finished sixth, the year before we finished seventh and I want to invest in the Coppa Italia, but a lower team doesn't want to play, what motivation do these people have?

"Torino won against the Italian champions, they made great history in the Round of 16 and they have to play away. Where is the beauty of the Coppa Italia? It would be nice to play on a Serie B or Serie C pitch, where is that? Because people accept it.

"The next elimination game will be either in Naples or at home with Cremonese, if we lose like last year, we'll lose, but we'll try to win. For a squad like ours, playing three competitions together is very hard.

"There's too much build-up for people of more quality, it's a big risk to play three or four players who don't play all the time or to put so many kids together, I could have done Bove-Tahirovic but I didn't.

"If we want to win the Coppa Italia I won't say we want to, because everyone wants to, we will try to win the next game of the tournament."

Roma, who have advanced to the Europa League knockout round playoffs, bowed out in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals last season to eventual winners Inter.

On Saturday, Alli shared a video to his official Snapchat account, which showed him wearing a facemask in an airport departure lounge.

In the clip – which was captioned "Corona whattt [sic], please listen with volume" – Alli zoomed the camera towards a man of Asian appearance before turning it on a bottle of antiseptic hand wash.

"This virus gunna have to be quicker than that to catch me," read the second caption.

Alli deleted the video and issued an apology on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

The coronavirus outbreak in China has impacted thousands, with the nation confirming on Friday the death toll has risen to 1,380.

While the Football Association (FA) could yet punish Alli, Mourinho highlighted the England international's presence of mind to apologise and express regret.

"It was not his intention to offend, he apologised immediately, regretted and recognised it was a young guy mistake, a young generation mistake and he apologised," Mourinho said.

"So, my conversation [with Alli] was easy, as it was not one of a contradiction of ideas. It was not him not understanding why I was unhappy, so it was so simple.

"What can I say? He regrets and, for me, that's the best feeling he can show, and to have the humility to apologise I think is also remarkable, because sometimes these young people make mistakes and don't realise – so this conversation was so easy.

"I have a son and daughter basically at the same age as Dele and many of my players - I know what social media is for this generation.

"But when you are a public person like footballers are, they have to know and have to be very careful.

"I repeat, Dele is a great guy. The last thing Dele is is anything connected with racism or disrespect, not at all, but these are current mistakes that some people sometimes make. But again, the good thing for me is regret and apologise, so for me it's end of story.

"I'm not the FA, I'm just his manager, his friend. I repeat, at the same age I have two great kids in my house, and I have to act as an educator and I think the best way to do it is immediately his reaction – regret and apologise."

The 61-year-old is reportedly nearing a return to management, five months after he was sacked by Roma.

Fenerbahce are searching for a new boss after parting company with Ismail Kartal on Friday, after he guided them to a second-place finish behind Galatasaray - amassing an impressive 99 points.

And the Yellow Canaries revealed on public disclosure platform KAP - as part of a legal process to alert investors - they are in talks with the decorated Portuguese coach.

"Our company has started negotiations with Jose Mario Dos Santos Mourinho Felix for the post of Football A team coach," the Fenerbahce post read.

Turkey would be the fifth different country in which Mourinho has managed, with the former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Inter coach winning eight domestic titles across four different nations.

He has also won five major European competitions during his managerial career - including two Champions League crowns with Porto and Inter - while guiding Roma to their maiden continental triumph in the inaugural Europa Conference League two years ago.

Roma appointed Mourinho last May and invested around €130million on new players – the biggest close-season outlay of any Serie A team. 

Things started positively with Roma winning their first six competitive games of a season for just the third time in their history, but they have been victorious in just four of their subsequent 12 outings. 

Mourinho became the first Giallorossi boss since Luis Enrique in 2011 to lose their maiden top-flight Derby della Capitale in September, while the following month he suffered the heaviest loss of his managerial career when Roma were hit for six by Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League. 

The next week his 43-game home unbeaten run in Serie A came to an end at the hands of Milan, while November started with a disappointing draw at home to Bodo/Glimt and a shock 3-2 loss at Venezia. 

However, Totti does not believe Mourinho is at fault for Roma's slide in form and believes his pedigree is more than sufficient for a show of faith. 

"If we think Roma's problem is Mourinho, it means we have everything wrong," Totti told Sky. 

"Mourinho has won more than all the other Serie A coaches combined – hats off to him. 

"You have to focus on him. He is a great coach and a great motivator. He knows how to manage the group, he knows what to say and what to do. 

"The club and the fans must stick with him." 

Despite their poor form, Roma sit sixth in Serie A and are just three points adrift of the top four. 

Goals from Stephan Al Shaarawy and substitute Marash Kumbulla secured the home victory which gives the Giallorossi a significant advantage ahead of the return leg in San Sebastian.

Despite that, Mourinho was not satisfied, urging caution with a quarter-final spot at stake.

"This 2-0 is only good if we don't lose by three in the second leg," Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia. "I will never say it's a good result after the first leg."

Mourinho acknowledged Roma have a complicated schedule around the second leg on Thursday 16 March, with a Derby della Capitale against Lazio three days later.

"Now we have a dangerous week," the Portuguese said. "After the return with Real Sociedad we play against Lazio, even if for me playing with them is like playing with Milan or Juve, but in this city it is not like that."

Roma actually had only 40 per cent possession against Sociedad, yet generated three shots on target compared to the Spanish side's one.

Despite not declaring it a good result, Mourinho said his side controlled the game and deserved the win.

"I liked the organisation, the effort and the empathy on the pitch," Mourinho said.

"We all helped each other. It’s hard to play against teams who field a midfield diamond. We faced it against Empoli and RB Salzburg, but it's difficult.

"We needed a strong mentality because when you don't have the ball for a long time, mentality is crucial. We controlled the match despite having less possession."

Goals from Stephan Al Shaarawy and substitute Marash Kumbulla secured the home victory which gives the Giallorossi a significant advantage ahead of the return leg in San Sebastian.

Despite that, Mourinho was not satisfied, urging caution with a quarter-final spot at stake.

"This 2-0 is only good if we don't lose by three in the second leg," Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia. "I will never say it's a good result after the first leg."

Mourinho acknowledged Roma have a complicated schedule around the second leg on Thursday 16 March, with a Derby della Capitale against Lazio three days later.

"Now we have a dangerous week," the Portuguese said. "After the return with Real Sociedad we play against Lazio, even if for me playing with them is like playing with Milan or Juve, but in this city it is not like that."

Roma actually had only 40 per cent possession against Sociedad, yet generated three shots on target compared to the Spanish side's one.

Despite not declaring it a good result, Mourinho said his side controlled the game and deserved the win.

"I liked the organisation, the effort and the empathy on the pitch," Mourinho said.

"We all helped each other. It’s hard to play against teams who field a midfield diamond. We faced it against Empoli and RB Salzburg, but it's difficult.

"We needed a strong mentality because when you don't have the ball for a long time, mentality is crucial. We controlled the match despite having less possession."

Mourinho was appointed by Spurs in November 2019 as the replacement for Mauricio Pochettino on a contract until the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

But he has not managed to preside over a full season, with chairman Daniel Levy ending the Portuguese head coach's tenure prematurely on Monday.

Mourinho's backroom team of Joao Sacramento, Nuno Santos, Carlos Lalin and Giovanni Cerra have also been relieved of their duties, with Ryan Mason taking first-team training on Monday.

Levy, said: "Jose and his coaching staff have been with us through some of our most challenging times as a club. Jose is a true professional who showed enormous resilience during the pandemic.

"On a personal level I have enjoyed working with him and regret that things have not worked out as we both had envisaged. He will always be welcome here and we should like to thank him and his coaching staff for their contribution."

A 2-2 Premier League draw at Everton on Friday left the London club in seventh place with six matches to go and looking unlikely to seal a place in the top four.

Spurs have won just one of their last six games across all competitions, the most damning result in that sequence arguably being a 3-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League round of 16.

Dinamo were beaten 2-0 in the first leg, but stormed back to complete a remarkable turnaround.

Cracks had started to show away from the pitch as well in recent weeks, Mourinho drawing attention to himself with numerous comments relating to Spurs' performances.

Nevertheless, the timing of his exit will be questioned, with the club set to face Manchester City in the EFL Cup final on Sunday.

The news comes a day after Tottenham were revealed to among the 12 clubs who have agreed to join a controversial new breakaway European Super League.

Spurs could only finish sixth in the Premier League under Mourinho last term.

The former Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter and Manchester United boss has taken on a tough assignment in the Italian capital, as he bids to turn Roma into a team that can compete for trophies.

They are some way off being competitive in terms of the Serie A title race, just like Tottenham in his previous job were unable to mount a sustained Premier League challenge.

Mourinho was reminded on Friday of how he and his Tottenham coaching staff showed euphoria when qualification was secured for the second-tier Europa League in July 2020, prompting the question of whether he would celebrate in the same manner should Roma reach their objectives.

"There are teams that celebrate when they avoid relegation. That's the target they have," Mourinho said. "When people talk about coaches with lots of trophies, what about those who have not won many?

"It's about the targets they have. If Thiago Motta keeps Spezia up, or Andriy Shevchenko keeps Genoa up, or Salernitana stay up… then those coaches can and should celebrate the achievement. As for your question, if you are asking me if I am ready to celebrate if we win then obviously my answer is yes.

"This season we don't have a specific target in mind, beyond what the league table says because that is a more 'measurable' yardstick of progress."

Mourinho is 17 Serie A games into his Roma reign, and true to form it has been an up-and-down journey to this point. On Saturday, Roma will tackle an Atalanta side who are much further down the road with their project.

Although Mourinho is adamant his team can win in Bergamo and continue to progress, he makes no bones about his belief that expectations of Roma this season should be put into some perspective.

He also does not hide a certain envy that his touchline rival this weekend, Gian Piero Gasperini, has had almost six years to create his squad just as he wants it, with Atalanta third in Serie A and genuine title contenders.

"There's a fundamental difference between us and Atalanta," Mourinho said in a news conference on Friday. "I've been here six months, whereas Gian Piero has been there six years. Six months, six years. And that difference is not just in the number of training sessions they've had together, but in the sharing of ideas and the identification of processes. They've had 12 transfer windows together whereas we've just had one.

"Atalanta are an amazing club, a very stable one, with a great level of collaboration between the club and Gasperini. When I was first here in Italy, they didn't have the same ambitions. But 10 years on they are now a Champions League side who are competing to win the title."

Atalanta are unbeaten in their past seven Serie A games against Roma (W4 D3), their longest streak without defeat against the capital club in league competition. 

Roma will have to overcome another aspect of their recent history if they are to come away with three points, having not won any of their previous 12 Serie A games against sides that started the matchday inside the top five (D6 L6).

They are under-performing on the expected goals (xG) front this season, with only Salernitana and Juventus having a worse differential between goals scored and xG than Roma.

Yet Mourinho's men have returned to winning ways since a stinging 3-0 defeat at Inter's hands left the Portuguese coach bitterly frustrated and facing criticism, with victories over CSKA Sofia and Spezia helping to lift the gloom.

They sit sixth heading into the weekend, with the halfway point in Mourinho's first season back in Italy almost reached.

If Roma are to succeed under his guidance, it is likely to be a slow process, and for Mourinho, previously regarded as a quick-fix boss, that may take some getting used to.

The 58-year-old has expressed frustration at the depth within his current squad, but he admires how Atalanta have built from humble foundations, and that may be a model to which Roma closely adhere.

"Theirs is definitely one that I admire, that I really like," Mourinho said, quoted on Roma's website.

"You know that I have spent many years at very different clubs. Clubs that are aggressive in the transfer market and spend a lot, because they are trying to compete right now and not just in the future.

"So, I have a lot of admiration for projects like that. That's their approach. And it has been six years. They have been smart in the market and built a really strong side while remaining economically stable. As I have already said, it's not just respect but admiration that I have for their project."

Roma have lost 12 away Serie A games in 2021 (W5 D3), including five losses out of eight under Mourinho. Only in two calendar years have they registered more defeats on the road in the top flight (16 in both 1949 and 1950).

By contrast, Atalanta have won 28 matches in 2021, at least seven more than they have managed in any other calendar year in Serie A.

Brazil are on the lookout for a new head coach after Tite stepped down, as planned, following Brazil's disappointing defeat to Croatia in the World Cup quarter-finals last month.

Mourinho is one of a number of names reportedly in the frame, while the 59-year-old has also been touted as a possible target for Portugal following Fernando Santos' departure, though Roberto Martinez seems to be the frontrunner for that job.

Carlos Alberto, who won the Champions League under Mourinho at Porto, says he has been offered the chance to work alongside the Portuguese as part of Brazil's coaching staff.

"I was going to drop a bomb here, but I can't," he told the Mundo GV podcast. "Maybe [Mourinho] is the coach of the Brazilian team. I'm speaking first hand. It's information.

"It doesn't matter where the information comes from, I'm giving you the information... because he even invited me [to be his number two]."

Mourinho led Roma to the inaugural Europa Conference League title last season – the Italian side's first European trophy in more than 60 years.

That was Mourinho's fifth continental triumph, with the former Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter, Manchester United and Tottenham boss having won both the UEFA Cup/Europa League and Champions League on two occasions.

Roma are sixth in Serie A after winning just one of their five matches either side of the World Cup break. They did fight back to draw 2-2 with Milan at San Siro on Sunday, however.

Speaking last week, Roma director Tiago Pinto insisted he expects Mourinho – under contract until the end of next season – to stay on at Stadio Olimpico.

"When you get a coach like Mourinho, you must be accustomed to rumours," Pinto told La Gazzetta dello Sport. 

"This was the first time in 18 months that a club or a federation were interested in him. We had no distractions at our training camp in the Algarve, we were only focused on work. 

"I am Portuguese and every time we change coach, Mourinho is mentioned, but we count on him for the future."

First-half goals from Hakan Calhanoglu, former Roma striker Edin Dzeko and Denzel Dumfries consigned an injury-hit Roma to a second straight defeat after they finally appeared to have hit some form. 

Mourinho had cancelled his pre-match news conference on Friday and was unwilling to field questions from broadcaster DAZN or the assembled media after the defeat. 

When a journalist attempted to ask Mourinho a question, the former Inter boss went on the attack. 

"I do not want to answer the question," Mourinho began. "It's easy to ask questions like this, and obviously your job is easier and that's why we get a lot more money than you." 

Mourinho then simply offered up his own thoughts on the game before leaving the media room. 

"They are stronger than us in normal conditions. In abnormal conditions they are much stronger," said Mourinho. 

"We made mistakes, the third goal is ridiculous, but as a coach I have had many defeats, many negative feelings with my players.

"Whoever gives everything he has is not obliged to do more. The boys, with all their difficulties, did the best they could. I am with them. 

"In my opinion the referee was fine. He clearly did not impact the result. 

"The only thing he missed was a yellow card for Bryan Cristante, because we must be far and away the dirtiest team in Serie A – it's incredible how many yellow cards we pick up. 

"Nevertheless, [the referee] had a good game. Well done to Inter, and good luck to them on Tuesday [in the Champions League]." 

Belotti, a free agent since leaving Torino when his contract expired at the end of June, has been strongly linked with a move to Roma after scoring eight Serie A goals last season.

The 2021-22 campaign was the first in which Belotti had failed to hit double figures in the Italian top-flight since 2014-15, and reports have suggested he could arrive to provide competition for Giallorossi forwards Tammy Abraham and Paulo Dybala.

Asked ahead of Monday's game against Cremonese whether Roma would be signing another attacker, Mourinho said: "I do not answer, because the director Tiago Pinto already knows.

"I just have to wait with the hope that it can be done. If it cannot be done, we will go on with what we have.

"If Belotti were a player of Torino or of another team I would not answer. Being released, I do not have the ethical block of not saying anything, I can say something.

"If it is true, I repeat if it is true, that he wants so much to come to Roma, I would be happy to hear this kind of feeling. If he doesn't come, I don't know, let's wait and see."

While Belotti could join the likes of Dybala, Georginio Wijnaldum and Nemanja Matic in making the move to Roma, fellow forward Zaniolo has been tipped to leave throughout the transfer window.

Zaniolo scored the winner when Roma ended a 14-year trophy drought by winning the Europa Conference League in May but has been linked with Juventus.

Mourinho views the 23-year-old as a key player, adding: "He is doing very well. Physically he seems agile and fresh.

"If he stays here, it is a question for the director and not for me. If you ask me if I would like him to stay, I do not hide it and I say yes. He is important for us."

Former Inter boss Mourinho will return to Serie A in 2021-22 after being appointed by Roma following his Tottenham sacking in April.

Mourinho, who guided Inter to an unprecedented treble in 2009-10, replaces Paulo Fonseca in Rome, where the Giallorossi have not won a league title since 2001.

The Portuguese enjoyed stunning success at the start of his managerial career, winning seven league titles and two Champions Leagues in eight seasons across spells at Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid. 

Since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, however, he has won just one league title – the Premier League with Chelsea in 2014-15. 

Indeed, Mourinho won only 51.2 per cent of his matches at Tottenham and left without lifting a single trophy.

In an extract from a new book called 'Stay Crazy and Hungry', reported in Marca, Mourinho thinks his early success contributed to a focus on winning which has not always served him well in recent years. 

"I've been a victim of myself and, if I could, it would be one of the things I wouldn't repeat," Mourinho said.

"I won, won and won and I entered into a kind of dynamic where not winning seemed like the end of the world.

"I, myself, because of my personality, made out that the training, the games and the job were all to win, win, win, and then, when I came to situations where it was very difficult to win, which for other coaches is something acceptable, in my case it was never enough.

"Not winning was a failure, but that isn't true."

Mourinho has publicly clashed with many of his players over his illustrious career, notably with Luke Shaw at Manchester United.

Mourinho managed Shaw at United from 2016 until he was sacked in 2018 and he was often critical of the left-back.

Shaw recently launched a scathing criticism of Mourinho and his "strange" personal agenda, with the England full-back insisting "clearly, I'm in his head".

The 58-year-old, however, seemingly has no regrets over his treatment of certain players. 

"I always tell the players that, with me, they'll find an honest guy," he added.

"They'll find a guy who will tell you the truth, the things you want to hear and also the things you don't.

"Some may say that I'm a bad coach, that I was a b*******, but no one can say that I wasn't serious or honest."

The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham manager suggested he had been pining for Italy while working in the Premier League last season, due to frustration with the English media.

But when faced with a question about Roma's full-backs struggling to deliver effective crosses in the European clash with Trabzonspor on Thursday, Mourinho initially suggested he did not want to answer.

"I will start with a joke," he told reporters. "In England I always used to say that I missed the press conferences in Italy, because here we talk more about tactics – whereas they only want to talk about controversies.

"Now I'm back in Italy, though, I don't want to talk about tactics because you are too good at it!"

But Mourinho went on to give a full answer to the enquiry, admitting Roma "messed up" several crosses and concluding his team would "try to build up our attacking play so we have a number of different options".

Roma edged their Europa Conference League game 2-1 in Turkey, and on Sunday they begin their Serie A campaign with a home test against Fiorentina.

Tammy Abraham could make his debut in that game, Mourinho confirmed, even though the striker has been unable to train with his new team-mates due to pandemic restrictions on his involvement since arriving from Chelsea.

"Tomorrow he will be in the squad," Mourinho said, as quoted by Roma's official website.

"He has not trained this week with the team, he's been training alone because those are the current rules. But he has played pre-season at Chelsea, he's played in some decent games with them and I think he's physically ready to play.

"It's been a tough week for him, though, with all the travelling and the medical tests and the paperwork that has had to be signed. But he will be with us. We have three forwards: Borja [Mayoral], him, Eldor [Shomurodov]. I am delighted to have them."

Mourinho made a cutting remark ahead of the Trabzonspor game by complimenting the work of the Turkish club's ground staff and suggesting on Instagram that those responsible for the state of Roma's own pitch were on holiday.

Returning to the issue on Saturday, Mourinho said: "In England the climate helps a lot with the quality of the pitches, and that is true in other aspects too – so it is a little difficult to compare England with other places.

"The pitch was not good last week, and I have my doubts about whether it will be great tomorrow – but I have confidence in the professionalism and pride of those whose job it is to work on it.

"For sure, the week after, when Lazio play at home, the pitch will be in even better condition for them.

"So, there should be a bit of pressure applied from everyone, not just from my Instagram – which is a bit of a mean Instagram where I have no filter. I think something, and I just post it. No-one can control me.

"With a little pressure from us all we can make the fields at a better level. When I look at the level of the coaches who are in Serie A and others who are no longer there like Conte, Gattuso and Ranieri, I think we all want quality football and therefore we also need quality pitches."