Il tecnico giallorosso: "Voglio andare in finale di Europa League per la squadra e per i tifosi"
In home Roma everything is ready for the return of the semifinal of Europa League against the Bayer Leverkusen. E Jose Mourinho plays the charge and keeps concentration high. “I don’t want to think about the final or my future, the focus is only on tomorrow’s semi-final“, explained the Giallorossi coach. “I want to get to the final not so much for me but for the team and the fans – has continued -. The fans are extraordinary and the boys are an incredible group who are giving everything amid so many difficulties. But football doesn’t give away anything and to go to the final we will have to play an extraordinary match“. “El Shaarawy, Smalling and Dybala can play, only Karsdorp and Llorente cannot play“, he added speaking of the players available for the second round with Bayer -. Let’s see how many minutes Paulo and Chris have in their legs, they played and trained little or nothing. They don’t have 90′we’ll see when to use them”.
“I’m not superstitious.
I don’t consider bookmakers and I don’t feel favoured. When you reach the semifinals there is a 25% chance of winning the competition and 50% of being able to reach the final -. This is my superstition that becomes pragmatism.
It will be very long tomorrow“. “The present is always the most important moment. The past is the past and we don’t know the future,” continued the Giallorossi coach. “I don’t know which direction the match will take,
what we know is that we want to get to the final“, has continued.
”
If the Europa League were only for those who started the Europa League we would have already won it, but that’s not the case. I want the cup – explained the Special One -.
Maximum respect for Bayer, it’s 1-0 at the interval, the second half is missing. A team that has played 14 games in the Europa League is more valuable than a team that invests in the Champions League and finds themselves here after the group stage.” “Playing the return leg at home is always better, but the first leg was mentally difficult home because we knew their strengths and theoretically we were forced to win there – he concluded -. Let’s see tomorrow if we can go to the final.”
MATIC: “BAYER? WE’VE PREPARED EVERYTHING”
He also presented himself at the press conference with Mourinho
Nemanja Matic. “We have prepared for this game as always, our coach has already played games like this and he told us that
we have to play with everything we have and we have to be concentrated for the entire 90′ - explained the Giallorossi midfielder -. Leverkusen have the quality of a great team, it won’t be easy to play here. I think that
we prepared our game welllet’s see how it ends.” “We want to get through this semi-final and it won’t be easy, we all want to win for our fans, we want to give everything for them,” he added.
We have prepared the game and the match plan, we have thought of everything”. Closing on the relationship with Mourinho: ”
I have a great bond with the coach, he always gives me confidence. I like working with him“.