Featured Image Credit: BT Sports
Topics: Jose Mourinho, AS Roma, Atalanta, Serie A
Marcus Chan
Roma boss Jose Mourinho was sent off during his side’s Serie A clash with Atalanta.
The incident occurred in the 56th minute after the referee waved away appeals for a penalty by the Roma players.
Mourinho and his players felt that Nicolo Zaniolo was dragged to the ground inside the area by Atalanta’s Caleb Okoli.
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However, both the on field referee and the VAR officials did not believe the challenge warranted a penalty kick, which clearly pushed Mourinho over the edge.
The fuming Portuguese ran onto the pitch to vent his frustrations towards the referee, throwing his arms in the air whilst shouting towards the officials.
In fairness, replays seemed to show that the decision not to award Roma a penalty was correct.
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At that stage, Roma were chasing the game after Giorgio Scalvini gave the visitors the lead after 35 minutes.
Roma are looking to build on their Europa Conference League success from last season but have had a tricky start to their 22/23 Serie A campaign, they are currently sixth in the Serie A table after four wins, one draw and two defeats from their first seven games.
In Europe, they were shocked by Ludogorets Razgrad in their opening Europa League match, but they bounced back on Thursday with a comfortable 3-0 win over HJK Helsinki.
Despite the win, Mourinho demanded improvements from his side.
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He told reporters: “We were too passive in the first half.
“We were playing in eleven over ten but you could not tell the difference.”
Mourinho added: “In the second half we changed our attitude and it went well. We pushed ourselves to score a goal or two straight away and then we just decided to keep attacking. Pressing high and maintaining an offensive mindset.”
Roma fans are expecting a lot more from their team this season especially after they managed to snap up Paulo Dybala on a free transfer from Juventus.
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Will Mourinho be a success at Roma this season? Only time will tell.