Mourinho on Roma: 'The most beautiful place of my career'

Francesco Totti has revealed that Sinisa Mihajlovic called him shortly after his retirement from football to try to persuade him to play for Torino. Speaking in his book Oltre, Totti recounted how Mihajlovic made an emotional pitch to bring him back as a defender at the Serie A club. "Francesco, come give me a hand at Torino? What do you care, play another year, position yourself in front of the defence," Mihajlovic said. When Totti expressed concern about public opinion, Mihajlovic replied: "I'll handle the people. Come, you have fun, I have fun and the fans have fun." Totti responded with humour: "What are we doing, running a circus?" Mihajlovic intensified his efforts by appealing to Totti's emotions about the Turin club's heritage and suffering fanbase. "It's all magical here, Francesco. There's history, passion, the people, Superga. Every time I look at it from Turin it moves me. Think about how much the fans have suffered, we need to give them something back. All it takes is a spark and it becomes a fire. A beautiful fire," the former Torino manager urged. Totti, however, could only joke in response: "You need firefighters, not me." Despite Mihajlovic's persistent attempts—"But you think about it," he told Totti—the former Roma captain's reasoning never wavered. It was the same principle that had guided his entire career. His final answer was unequivocal: "Thanks Sini, but there's only Roma. Sorry." Mihajlovic had passed away, and Totti describes him as a friend who died too soon.

Radio commentators in Rome have divided over the performance of two Roma players on international duty. Gianluca Mancini came under criticism for his defending in Italy's latest match, while Nicolò Romano faced scrutiny for errors in his first appearances at senior level. Agresti said Romano had played five matches at a high level but had been unsettled by his elevation to the Italy squad. "On Italy's first goal, Mancini made a big mistake, but the move started from a poor pass by Romano. Yesterday he made errors he doesn't usually make," Agresti noted. Orsi was blunt about Mancini's responsibility: "A defender like Mancini cannot make certain errors—it is not the right way to face the opponent. The two goals conceded by Italy, if two players were switched on, they don't get conceded. Mancini is not 18 years old; he has to help in these situations." However, Orsi backed Romano: "Romano can make mistakes; you put him alongside Tonali and Barella, and they have to give more." Carina took a more measured view of Romano's adjustment. "We have to be calm with Romano: he has only played five matches. It's normal for him to alternate good and poor performances. He has been compared to Strootman, so obviously he will struggle—they have given him Italy's midfield." Mirabella also offered perspective: "He is an experiment and made plenty of mistakes, but it makes sense: he's young, it's his first experience, and he's only just started playing in Serie A." Stella reflected on Italy's broader troubles: "The enthusiasm over Italy has faded. I don't want to be punitive towards the coach, but I have no idea how we can get out of this tunnel."

Kevin Strootman has praised Roma's strong start to the season under Gian Piero Gasperini, highlighting the impact of fellow Dutch players Donyell Malen and Marten De Roon. Speaking to Il Tempo, the former Roma midfielder said of Gasperini's work: "Gasperini is working very well. Roma has had a decidedly important start to the season and I hope it can continue like this. The team has played great matches, playing quite well. The important thing now is to continue down this road." On Malen's performances, Strootman said: "I haven't played much together with him, but I've known him for a long time and he is a very strong forward. He did well both in Germany and in England, even though he wasn't always a starter. At Roma, however, he found a lot of confidence, especially thanks to the coach, and he is doing very well. The difference is also noticeable in the national team. He has great quality and spectacular speed. I think Roma is the right team for him; he feels important and is proving it. I'm not totally surprised by his performances, although probably nobody expected such an impact. I hope he continues like this." Strootman described De Roon as "a player of great experience. He knows the Italian league very well and, above all, he knows Gasperini's game. Marten is really a dressing-room man; he's someone who always gives his all for the team and can help younger players too. He doesn't need to feel more important than others or be in the spotlight. Everything he does in training and in matches, he does for the group. This is a very important aspect for a team that wants to fight for the top places." Strootman also recalled giving Leonardo Balerdi a Roma shirt during his Marseille days, saying: "When I read this on Instagram, I thought 'really?'… it's been a while, I'd completely forgotten about it. Leonardo is a really good lad, he has started his Roma adventure in the best way and I hope he can continue like this." On Roma's title prospects, Strootman said: "Maybe… let's see where Roma will be in March. In the meantime, I'll keep playing with my daughters, then we can chat again."