Roma

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."

Early injuries to Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi threatened to derail Inter's chances on Sunday, but the Serie A champions held firm to secure the points.

Inzaghi was pleased with the team's performance and result, with Lautaro Martinez scoring the only goal of the game in the second half, but could not ignore the setbacks suffered by two key players.

"Calhanoglu wasn't in great shape over the last two days, so with the other two available I would’ve rested him this evening. He is generous and tried to put in the effort, but he felt the adductor pain and stopped before it got worse," Inzaghi told DAZN.

"Roma are a solid side with a lot of good players coming off the bench, so the fact we had to use up two substitutions was a real problem."

The victory lifted Inter to second in the Serie A table, one point behind league leaders Napoli and one point above as yet unbeaten Juventus, who they face in their next league game.

Aside from the injuries, Inzaghi was pleased with how the evening played out.

"Roma are a strong team with quality, so the lads did really well. The first half was balanced, in the second we had two or three opportunities to double our lead and should’ve killed off the game," he said.

Striker Martinez was singled out for praise by his manager after netting his third league goal of the season and 133rd for Inter in all competitions, which put him level with the club's all-time scoring record for a non-Italian.

"He just has to keep doing what he has done with Inter and Argentina. I think he is one of the five best players in the world. He deserves all of this success," Inzaghi said.

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." 

The outbreak of coronavirus in Italy forced four top-flight matches to be postponed over the weekend, including Sunday's clash between Scudetto hopefuls Inter and Sampdoria.

Italy's move came as part of preventative measures against the spread of the coronavirus, officially named COVID-19 which originated in China, after two people died and dozens more reportedly tested positive.

Now, upcoming fixtures across Italy's leagues are in doubt, with Serie A leaders Juve scheduled to host Inter in Turin on March 1.

"I don't think that in just one week we'd be able to slow down the contagion so much that we could resume sporting events," Conte told Rai.

"We are constantly monitoring the situation and will evaluate. We'll see the evolution of the contagion and evaluate postponing all next week's matches."

Juve are a point clear atop the table following Saturday's 2-1 victory away at bottom side SPAL.

Cristiano Ronaldo marked his 1,000th career appearance with a goal, scoring in an 11th consecutive top-flight match – matching a feat previously achieved by Gabriel Batistuta and Fabio Quagliarella.

In-form Lazio were also in action on Saturday and edged Genoa 3-2 to extend their unbeaten streak to 20 games, while Inter are six points off the pace with a game in hand.

In an encounter devoid of clear-cut chances, Daniele De Rossi's side defended astutely to claim their second point of the campaign after their defeat to Empoli last week.

Dusan Vlahovic was presented with the clearest sight of goal, but the Serbian striker saw his effort thwarted by the palms of Mile Svilar. 

The fixture in Turin saw just one shot from either side on target, with Juventus' expected goals (xG) total of 0.47 only slightly bettering their opponents' 0.37. 

Heading into the international break, Juventus sit second in the early-season standings behind Inter, meanwhile Roma move out of the bottom three and into 17th.

Data Debrief: Serie A giants fail to excite

Juventus' Vlahovic and Roma's Alexis Saelemaekers were the two credited with the encounters only efforts on target in a game that failed to live up to the billing. 

But there were positives for Motta to take, with Juventus remaining unbeaten in their first three Serie A games of the season for the third year in a row, while also registering a fourth consecutive league clean sheet, as many as they had managed in their previous 16.

Roma have failed to win any of their first three Serie A games of the season for the second season in a row. Only once have the Giallorossi failed to win their first three games in two consecutive years (2010-11 and 2011-12).

They have also scored just one goal in their first three games of the season, their worst result since 1986-87.

Maradona, one of football's all-time greats, died of natural causes at the age of 60 on Wednesday.

Although coach of Argentinian side Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata at the time of his death, Maradona was more renowned for his remarkable playing career, during which he inspired his country to 1986 World Cup success and also played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli and Sevilla.

But it was his time in Naples that is remembered as his prime, as he helped them to two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and a UEFA Cup crown.

Napoli's current team all took to the pitch in jerseys emblazoned with Maradona's name and iconic number 10 on the back before Thursday's 2-0 Europa League win over Rijeka at Stadio San Paolo, which is set to be renamed Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

The club's tributes to their greatest ever player do not stop there, as they confirmed on Sunday that a new strip inspired by Maradona and Argentina – which was conceived last year – is set to be revealed and worn against Roma later in the day.

A statement read: "A year ago, together with Kappa, we thought of designing a special jersey that echoes Diego Maradona, his beloved Argentina and the close-knit bond with the people of Naples.

"Our hope was that Diego would be able to see it, perhaps even wear it and share in our excitement about it.

"It was agreed that the new kit would be unveiled on matchday nine of the Serie A campaign, during the match between SSC Napoli and Roma.

"The jersey that the players will don tonight will have an even greater significance than initially intended."

Napoli have not provided any further detail regarding the kit's aesthetics, however graphics accompanying their statement showed prominent blue-and-white stripes, as famously worn by Argentina.

Milan occupy top spot in their quest for a first Scudetto since 2011, but fierce rivals Inter are just two points behind and arguably have an easier set of fixtures to conclude the campaign.

Napoli and Juventus are not officially out of the title race just yet, though they are seven and eight points off first place respectively, therefore requiring a remarkable set of results.

Both Napoli and Juventus are already assured of a top-four finish, but there are several other teams still battling it out for the three remaining European spots.

Venezia appear doomed at the opposite end of the table after losing to fellow strugglers Salernitana on Thursday, with the latter's victory lifting them out of the bottom three – in all, six teams remain in trouble.

But just how will the remaining two and a half weeks of the season unfold? Using the Stats Perform League Prediction Model, we can try to forecast the final standings.

Created by Stats Perform AI using Opta data, the model has analysed the division to assign percentages to potential outcomes for each club.

The model estimates the probability of each match outcome (win, draw or loss) based on teams' attacking and defensive qualities, which considers four years' worth of results.

Weighting is based on recency and the quality of opposition, with the rest of the matches then simulated 10,000 times to calculate the likelihood of each outcome.

Let's take a look...

MILAN TO SEE THE JOB THROUGH

Milan still have Hellas Verona (ninth), Atalanta (eighth) and Sassuolo (11th) to face, whereas Inter's final fixtures are against Empoli (14th), Cagliari (18th) and Sampdoria (15th).

However, it is worth noting that if they finish level on points, Milan would be crowned champions by virtue of a superior head-to-read record against their rivals this term.

With that in mind, while Inter are only two points behind, they essentially need to take three more points than Milan over the final three matchdays.

And our model suggests the Rossoneri have a 62 per cent chance of retaining top spot, compared to a 37.7 per cent chance of defending champions Inter overtaking them.

Just to highlight how unlikely it is either Napoli or Juventus will pip the current top two to the summit, they have a 0.2 and 0.1 per cent chance of winning the title respectively.

A ROME ONE-TWO FOR EUROPA LEAGUE?

The Champions League places may now officially be wrapped up, but five teams are still battling it out for the three remaining European berths.

The sides that finish in fifth and sixth, currently occupied by Roma and Lazio, will qualify for the Europa League group stage.

Roma, according to the model, have a 59.1 per cent chance of nailing down fifth place – though if they were to drop to seventh, the Europa Conference League finalists could get into the Europa League by winning UEFA's third-tier competition.

Lazio would take great enjoyment from finishing above their neighbours and have a 36.9 per cent chance of doing so.

The first priority for Maurizio Sarri will be locking down sixth, though, and there is a 46.7 per cent likelihood of achieving that with Fiorentina three points further back.

ATALANTA TO PIP FIORENTINA

While the top six are forecast to remain where they are, our model predicts seventh-placed Fiorentina will miss out to Atalanta in the Europa Conference League play-off position.

After losing three games in a row, La Viola now have a 31.2 per cent chance of staying seventh, compared to 47.6 for Atalanta, whom they are currently level with on 56 points.

Verona are four points further back and that appears to be too big a gap to bridge, with the Gialloblu seemingly certain to remain in eighth.

Indeed, the 80.8 per cent likelihood of Verona finishing in that position is bettered only by the chances of Empoli staying 14th (90.2 per cent) and Venezia remaining bottom (87.4 per cent) given the points margin either side.

VENEZIA AND TWO OTHERS TO DESCEND

Thursday's 2-1 defeat away to Salernitana looks to have spelled the end for Venezia's brief stint back in the top flight as it leaves them seven points from safety. Their chances of escaping the drop sit at 0.1 per cent.

Salernitana still have a 36.2 per cent chance of dropping into the bottom three, but given they face the team directly below them – Cagliari – and Empoli in their next two games, they will surely like those odds.

Another win for Salernitana on Sunday would be massive at the bottom, as such a result will relegate Venezia and potentially Genoa, whom the model gives only a 1.2 per cent likelihood of climbing up to 17th.

Spezia and Sampdoria aren't quite out of the woods yet, but their five-point cushions should be enough to keep them in Serie A. Everything points to Sunday's contest being almost a straight relegation play-off between Salernitana and Cagliari.

The model suggests with a 63.3 per cent probability that Cagliari will go down, but their fate is in their own hands.

Motta, who had won his first two league games in charge, had to settle for a share of the spoils after seeing just one of his sides' eight shots on target. 

The hosts managed just 18 touches in the opposition's box, with striker Dusan Vlahovic presented with the only notable chance of the contest. 

And while Juventus remained unbeaten in their first three Serie A games of the season for the third year in a row, Motta was left wanting more from his forward line. 

"Today we were too frenetic. At times we did well, at times they did well, it was a really difficult and balanced game," Motta said.

"We failed to understand the right moment to hit Roma, which must be underlined, they are a great team. Offensively we can do better."

The result marked the first time since the 2014-15 campaign that Juventus have kept a clean sheet in each of their first three Serie A fixtures of the season.

But at the opposite end of the pitch, the hosts produced an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.47 compared to Roma's 0.37, further highlighting the struggles of both sides in the contest. 

Juventus head into the international break level on points with leaders Inter, with Motta praising his players' commitment to the cause during the early stages of his tenure. 

"I think it's a fair result, in a balanced match. We didn't concede and we have one more point in the standings," Motta told a press conference.

"I'm very satisfied with the group and their commitment.

"We could have done much better today in precision in the offensive phase, but the opposing team knew how to defend and not give spaces."

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.

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."

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."

Roma failed to defeat Bodo/Glimt in two meetings in the group stage, including a 6-1 thrashing in Norway, before falling to a 2-1 defeat in the first leg of their last-eight meeting.

The latter clash was marred by an altercation between Bodo/Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen and Roma goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos, with the former accusing the latter of an alleged assault in the tunnel.

The pair were suspended for the return leg in Italy, where a hat-trick from Nicolo Zaniolo and a strike from Tammy Abraham saw Roma cruise to a 4-0 win and 5-2 aggregate triumph.

Roma will next face Leicester City for a place in the final, but coach Mourinho was far from pleased with his side for taking four matches to claim their maiden victory against the Norwegian team.

"Even after the 2-1 first leg I was confident," he told Sky Sport Italia. "The plan was to focus only on the pitch. 

"It is unacceptable we only managed to beat this side at the fourth attempt, but it was the most important. It was 2-1 for them, it ended 5-2 for us.

"There was no doubt today. I told my team at half-time that it wasn't about humiliating the opposition, winning 6-1 the way they did in Norway, it's just about reaching the semi-final.

"Some fatigue set in later on but the team deserved it, we are now 12 games into the Conference League and it's tough playing on Thursdays and the weekend, but we are here waving the Italian flag in Europe."

Mourinho also claimed Roma "play a lot better than what people say" before he hit out at the Italian media for their coverage of Zaniolo, who returned with a treble after being dropped against Salernitana.

"Zaniolo sells, so people talk about him when he plays, doesn't play, is injured, on the bench," he added. "It would be better for him and for all of Italian football to just leave him alone.

"We managed to hide the fact he would start today, people thought he'd be on the bench, but I knew he could attack the space.

"We are very happy, he will no doubt be on the front page for only positive reasons tomorrow."

Roma will be hoping Zaniolo can deliver again when they visit Napoli on Monday in Serie A as they hunt for a place in Italy's top four, sitting five points behind fourth-placed Juventus with six games left to play.