It was almost one year ago, on May 4, 2021 when AS Roma decided to appoint Jose Mourinho as new coach of the club. It was an incredible and surprising decision that nobody really saw coming, as the Portuguese coach had just been fired from Tottenham Hotspur one month before in the midst of a disappointing season. Roma fans welcomed Jose Mourinho with excitement and hoped that his history of bringing a winning mentality, a trait which is still attributed to him in Italy thanks to his time with Inter Milan, even as England soured on Mourinho after uneven spells with Manchester United and Spurs, could bring a trophy back to Roma, a club which had gone fourteen without any silverware.
Now, the Giallorossi will face Leicester in the UEFA Conference League semifinals and the winner will play a final in Tirana against either Feyenoord or Marseille. Roma fans are incredibly motivated to go and support the team and the Stadio Olimpico will be sold out on Thursday. Over 100 thousands fans queued to get a ticket and a lot of them were left wanting. The Conference League might be the third European trophy, but it really doesn't matter right now for both fans and coach. They both need and want the same thing, a the trophy, any trophy. Let's take a look at why this Conference League's edition is so important for the fans and for Jose Mourinho.
Why AS Roma fans are excited
Fourteen years is a long time. This team's last trophy was back in 2008 when Luciano Spalletti's team won the Coppa Italia against Inter Milan. The Giallorossi have also never won a major European trophy in their history. Roma fans can still remember the disappointment of their two major losses against Liverpool in 1984 in the European Cup final (the predecessor to the Champions League) and the loss against Inter Milan in the 1990-91 UEFA Cup (which is now the Europa League). Roma were also close to reaching a Champions League final in 2018 after an incredible quarterfinal comeback against Barcelona, but then lost against Liverpool in the semis. Roma has an incredibly devoted fan base. They are incredibly warm and they expect a tremendous amount from the team every season, but it's been a rough twenty years. Their last Scudetto win was 2001 and the Conference League is the first real chance they have to win something more important than the Coppa Italia in a generation. And, to add insult to injury, heated, crosstown-rivals Lazio have won more than them with three Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana wins over that time. The 2013 Coppa Italia final especially was a moment nobody from either side will forget with Senad Lulic scoring the deciding goal against Roma as the two sides faced off in the final. So, Roma fans have been through a lot and this would, at least, be a light at the end of the tunnel of the last fourteen years.
Why Jose Mourinho is desperate to win it
And then there's Mourinho. You shouldn't be surprised to see the Portuguese manager desperate to win a trophy. Trophies are what make the "Special One" so special. But it's been a while. The reason he is so committed to this Europa Conference League run is because while he may be a serial winner, he has failed to win a trophy in the last five years. The last trophy he lifted was the UEFA Europa League with Manchester United in 2017. Since then he hasn't really been close. Last year at Tottenham he was sacked one week before playing the Carabao Cup final, a match Manchester City later won. The missed opportunity to win a trophy with Tottenham (the only club where he didn't win one) definitely still looms over him and this is the perfect opportunity to get back to winning ways. Plus, he would be the first manager to win all the three major UEFA competitions, since this is the first year this competition is being played, and we shouldn't underestimate this factor. Mourinho wants to win, Roma wants to win, the players want to celebrate a trophy in Rome fourteen years after the last time. Far from being an afterthought as some clubs might consider the Conference League, the semifinals against Leicester are actually an opportunity that this club can't really miss.
Viewing Information
- Date: Thursday, April 28 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: King Power Stadium -- Leicester
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Leicester +124; Draw +230; AS Roma +220 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Team news
Leicester: The Foxes are also counting on this clash to give them the chance to play in the final and win their first trophy of the season. Leicester have lost just one of their last 16 home games in all European competitions (W10 D5) and none in the current season (W3 D3). The Foxes haven't conceded in their last two home games and will try to keep three consecutive clean sheets on their own ground for the second time in all European competitions.
AS Roma: The Giallorossi lost their most recent away match in the UEFA Conference League, 1-2 at Bodø/Glimt, but haven't lost consecutive games on the road in all European competitions since 2018/19. Roma have scored in each of their last 20 games away from home in those competitions. Nicolò Zaniolo has been key, involved in eight goals in the UEFA Conference League (scored four, assisted four), while only two players have had a hand in more (Cyriel Dessers and Yira Sor, both nine). Zaniolo scored a hat-trick in his last game with Roma in the competition.
Prediction
It will definitely be a match with a lot of intensity on the pitch between the two sides but everything will be decided in the second leg in Rome. PICK: Leicester 1, AS Roma 1
