MILAN, Italy —
Jose Mourinho returns to
England on Thursday on a wave of enthusiasm as upbeat Roma prepare for their
third European semifinal in five seasons with fans firmly behind their
charismatic manager.
اضافة اعلان
Mourinho’s spell at Tottenham, the first since 2002
where he left a club without winning a trophy, left the man formerly known as
The Special One’s stock at an all-time low.
A crop of attack-minded coaches had left Mourinho
behind as he crept towards his 60s, but he is rebuilding his reputation in the
country where his star has never waned thanks to the historic treble he won for
Inter Milan nearly 12 years ago.
Defeat on Saturday at
Italian champions Inter ended
a 12-match unbeaten run in Serie A and fifth-placed Roma’s outside hopes of
reaching the Champions League.
They were outclassed at the San Siro by a superior
team who are heavily fancied to retain their league title but the 3–1 loss
failed to end the positive vibes in Rome ahead of Thursday’s trip to Leicester
for the first leg of their European Conference League semi.
Fans have been packing the
Stadio Olimpico for
recent matches with more than 65,000 attending wins over Salernitana and
Bodo/Glimt and 1,600 will be in fine voice at the King Power Stadium hoping
that their team end an England hoodoo.
Roma have won just one of their 22 matches played in
England, at Anfield way back in 2001 with Fabio Cappello at the helm for a 2–1
aggregate
UEFA Cup defeat to Liverpool, and have taken some heavy beatings from
Premier League sides down the years.
Last season’s
Europa League first-leg 6–2 hammering
at Manchester United cost Roma their first continental final since 1984, when
they were beaten by Liverpool on penalties at their own ground.
Under Mourinho, Roma look more solid than they did under
predecessor Paulo Fonseca and he has managed to create a cohesion between the
team and a notoriously volatile fan base which last saw their team win a trophy
in 2008.
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