Jose Mourinho has stated that ‘some changes will be made’ as Roma welcome Swiss side Servette to Stadio Olimpico in their Europa League group match on Thursday. The Giallorossi got off to a great start to their Europa League campaign after defeating Sheriff Tiraspol 2-1 in their opener.
Mourinho answered questions from journalists in his pre-match press conference and spoke about team selection, Edoardo Bove and his love for Leandro Paredes:
On playing three times in seven days: “It is a situation that we cannot hide, which is also talked about a lot from other parts of the world evaluating the quality of the game and the intensity. Some changes will be made but it won’t be a total turnover because we want to win the match.”
On not being on the bench tomorrow: “I have faith in my players, in the staff, not being on the bench can have a small impact which also depends on how the match goes.”
On Bove: “When you talk about Bove we must always remember what the situation was like when I arrived here, give me some credit for that. Bove will also play tomorrow, he always works incredibly even when he isn’t playing and this is an incredible quality in today’s football because it’s not easy for kids today to have this mental strength to always be the same. He will play tomorrow, he is always positive towards the team and yes, he did better in the second half against Frosinone. The horrible coach is very proud of giving Bove the chance, in two years, to go from a possible loan in Serie C to playing in Europe.”
On Paredes: “Paredes is a finished product as a player, he is not an evolving kid. I’ve always liked him in the offensive phase, now that I work with him I say more, I love him with the ball and the team with him has become a team that always or almost always has more ball possession than the opponent.”