Roma’s humiliation in the Europa Conference League against Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt was officially Jose Mourinho’s heaviest defeat in managerial history that covers 1008 games. But, it certainly wasn’t his worst defeat. During his fruitful career, the Portuguese had worse days, like for example, 5-0 against Barcelona (with Real in 2010), or 5-3 against Spurs (with Chelsea in 2015), or 4-1 against Klopp’s Dortmund (with Real in 2013).1 – A José Mourinho side has conceded 6+ goals in a single game for the first time ever, in what is the 1008th match of his managerial career. Shock. #UECL #BodoGlimtRoma— OptaPaolo 🏆 (@OptaPaolo) October 21, 2021 This fact, off course, doesn’t mean anything to Roma fans, who certainly didn’t expect (as nobody in the world had) to lose against weaker team in a low-profile UEFA competition. Around 400 Roma faithful came to Norway and witness embarrassment. They were furious and started insulting players, who came over after the game to apologize. AS Roma’s traveling fans confronted the players after the 6-1 defeat vs Bodo tonight. Immense game for the hosts. #ASRoma pic.twitter.com/dFqRB5nJVX— Emanuel Roşu (@Emishor) October 21, 2021 And the unusually calm Mourinho gave the reasons for defeat. He was clever and experienced enough to admit his fault, but soon he changed the reasons for the terrible display to others.“I decided to play with this line-up, so the responsibility is mine. I did it with good intentions, to give an opportunity to those who work hard and to rotate the squad on a synthetic pitch in cold weather. I decided to rest many players. We lost against a team that showed more quality on the night. It’s that simple” the Portuguese told Sky Sport Italia.Mourinho’s Roma frozen in the polar circle with SIX goals in the net!Maybe Roma’s directors will not be pleased to hear that their squad in thin and that the quality of players are on a high level, but Mourinho didn’t mince words when talking about his footballers outside the first 11. “If I could always play with the same XI, then I would. It’s risky, because we have a huge gap in quality between the two groups of players. I knew the limits of this squad, it is not new to me, but I still expected a better response. As I said, it’s my choice to play them, so my responsibility. Every defeat does damage. I spoke to the players and was honest. I was honest with them, I cannot be honest with you. I never disguised the fact we were a squad with real limitations. We have 13 players who represent one team, the others are on a different level. At least the positive thing from now on is that nobody will ask me why I always use the same players” said Roma coach.
