Jose Mourinho sacked by AS Roma

• Jose Mourinho has been relieved of his responsibilities, according to Serie A club AS Roma.
• The former head coach of Manchester United leaves following a losing streak of three games, which included a 3-1 loss to AC Milan on Sunday.
• Four days before their San Siro loss, Roma was eliminated from the Coppa Italia by Lazio.

Following two and a half years in charge, manager Jose Mourinho has been relieved of his responsibilities, according to Serie A powerhouse Roma.

The former head coach of Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur leaves following a losing streak of three games, which included a 3-1 loss to AC Milan in Sunday’s League match.

Four days before their San Siro loss, Roma was eliminated from the Coppa Italia by Lazio. Despite this setback, they have only managed to accumulate 29 points from their first 20 Serie A games, placing them ninth in the standings.

Roma lost to AC Milan on the weekend. Photo/ Sempre Milan

With only one victory in their last five games under Mourinho, the Giallorossi are 22 points worse off behind leaders Inter Milan, five points behind Fiorentina in fourth place, and four points below Lazio in sixth.

Roma’s setback at San Siro this past weekend was their fourth straight away loss in all competitions. The Italian powerhouses also placed second in their Europa League group, trailing only Slavia Prague.

Next month, Roma will play a knockout-round playoff matchup against Feyenoord, the team they defeated in the 2021–22 Europa Conference League final. However, the club has decided to fire Mourinho, who has guided them to their worst Serie A season start after 20 games since 2002–03.

“AS Roma can confirm that José Mourinho and his coaching staff will leave the club with immediate effect,” the Giallorossi said in a statement. “We’ll have more information on the new First Team coaching staff soon.”

Shortly after being fired by Tottenham, Mourinho joined Roma in May 2021. In his 130 managerial games, he leaves Stadio Olimpico with a record of 68 victories, 30 draws, and 40 losses.

With just 44 victories from 96 Serie A games, Mourinho’s record ranks lowest among Roma managers who have managed at least 50 top-flight games in terms of points per game (1.61).

In addition to coaching the Giallorossi to victory in the Europa Conference League during his first season, Mourinho also led Roma to the Europa League final the previous year, when they lost to Sevilla, the defending champions, on penalties.

Nevertheless, Mourinho was only able to lead Roma to consecutive sixth-place finishes in Serie A, and their current predicament stems from significant transfers of players like Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku.

What next for Roma?

Daniele De Rossi. Photo/ beIN Sports

After firing manager Jose Mourinho on Tuesday morning, AS Roma are already preparing a replacement.

Roma is said to have approached Antonio Conte, a former Tottenham coach, about taking over as manager; however, the Italian is said to have turned down the Giallorossi’s efforts, while Xabi Alonso, another reported target, is reportedly not planning to leave Bayer Leverkusen.

Daniele De Rossi is reportedly “keen” on accepting the position, despite having just had a brief managerial stint at SPAL.

The club and the 40-year-old are reportedly in talks over a contract, according to transfer analyst Fabrizio Romano.

The former midfielder joined Boca Juniors in 2019 after graduating from the club’s academy, where he earned a league title in his final season as a professional football player. During his 18 years as a senior player with the Giallorossi, he won the Coppa Italia twice.

Although Roma advanced to the Europa League final last year and won the Uefa Europa Conference League in 2022, Mourinho has faced criticism this season due to his team’s ninth-place finish in the standings.

After being connected to positions in the Saudi Pro League, the former manager of Chelsea, Manchester United, and Spurs may soon return to the sidelines.

In October of last year, the 60-year-old, who had previously declined an approach from Al-Hilal, declared, “I will travel to Saudi Arabia in my spare time, but I am certain that I will work there.” Although I am not quite sure when I am very certain.

“I’ll do this for sure, but who knows what the future holds.”