Roma could do with a bit of magic as they endure a tough 2023/24 campaign
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Jose Mourinho says his Roma tenure has 'raised expectations' to such a degree that fans think he's a wizard – namely Harry Potter.
The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan manager made the humorous remark ahead of Sunday's Serie A trip to AC Milan, which comes four days after the Giallorossi were knocked out of the Coppa Italia by arch-rivals Lazio.
Roma won the Europa Conference League in Mourinho's first season at the helm, but they have struggled to make progress in the league under the Portuguese.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
And the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A-winning coach seemed to suggest that supporters are demanding too much of him.
"The Roma fans are the most incredible I have seen. Their coach is Jose 'Harry Potter' Mourinho and he raises expectations," he said.
"I don't know how many derbies I've played – 200, 150... They are always special matches. I've won, I've drawn [and] I've lost, always with a different experience.
"I understand what a derby means. The derby we played was an important derby."
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Nonetheless, Roma will want their head coach to magic up a good run of form soon. At the midway point of the Serie A campaign, the Giallorrosi sit ninth, having won only eight of their 19 games so far – and just one of their last five.
Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
