'Bandit' Mourinho sees sweethearts at Roma: 'They miss their grandma's desserts'

Approaching the home game against Udinese, Roma's inconsistent performances were the topic of conversation during Mourinho's press conference. He had an explanation for why his team had only secured five points and suffered three defeats in away Serie A games, compared to sixteen points (including Sunday's 3-1 victory over Udinese) and just one defeat at their own Stadio Olimpico.

'I always had teams that were a bunch of bandits, who loved playing away as much as at home,' Mourinho probably referred to his time at Internazionale and Real Madrid, where he managed players like Marco Materazzi and Pepe. 'The players at Roma prefer the comfort of their own home. When they are away, they miss their father and mother and their grandmother who makes desserts for them.'

Hug

The sweethearts of Roma clinched the three points against Udinese in the closing stages on Sunday through goals from Paulo Dybala and Stephan El Shaarawy. After the Italian attacker's liberating goal, Mourinho went crazy with joy. 'Because the match was over after that goal. When I realized that, I gave a child a hug. I had to hug the nearest person, luckily it wasn't a policeman.'

It turns out Mourinho can be sweet too, just like his players. 'But I was certainly born a football bandit,' he emphasized after the game to DAZN. 'And usually, you are born a bandit, you can't become one. I try to influence them. But we remain a team with ups and downs. Sometimes I am surprised in a negative way. But we responded very well. The substitutes helped me.'