Salzburg actually already won the Europa League round of 16 against AS Roma on Thursday (6.45 p.m., Servus TV): You couldn’t have gotten a much more attractive opponent than Roma in the Champions League either. And with Jose Mourinho, one of the most successful coaches in Europe is leading the current Europa Conference League winner.
It would be best if Mourinho acted similarly after the final whistle as he did as Tottenham coach in December 2020 after his team’s 3-3 win against LASK in the Linz stadium. “Training tomorrow – at 12 o’clock,” he wrote to his players at the time. The photo that shows him typing the message into his cell phone on the Gugl track went viral on social media.
It was punishment for his players, who still had a flight home until four in the morning after the draw in Linz. “Some of our players don’t take the Europa League as seriously as they should,” Mourinho said after congratulating LASK. The players at the Europa Conference League title proved that AS Roma don’t think so arrogantly. It’s been 22 years since Roma’s last league title (2001). With the exception of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (1961), there was not a single triumph in the European Cup until the previous year.
26 titles for Mourinho
With Jose Mourinho, the hope of great success has also returned. The Portuguese has won 26 titles so far. These include the Champions League twice, the Europa League twice and a total of eight championship titles in England, Italy, Spain and Portugal. “What he has achieved is unique,” Salzburg’s coach Matthias Jaissle showed respect.
For Salzburg it is about the first Europa League round of 16 since 2019. A surprise cannot be ruled out, especially at home. Salzburg have lost just one of their last eight home European Cup games (2-1 against Chelsea in the Champions League group stage). Both teams are well positioned in terms of personnel. AS Roma are also expected to have their top stars in the starting XI in Lorenzo Pellegrini, Paulo Dybala and center forward Tammy Abraham. The times when Roma took the European Cup less seriously are a thing of the past, at least since Mourinho took office. And if you forget that, you will receive punishment training.
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I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
