Jose Mourinho stated that Roma will compensate for the absence of Paulo Dybala with hard work and determination when they face a ‘organized’ Udinese side
Mourinho isn’t looking for revenge against Udinese despite losing to them 4-0 in the previous fixture at the Dacia Arena in September
“Every game is important, that one belongs to the past, we lost it and we can no longer win that match. Today is a different game which we can win,” the Portuguese coach told DAZN minutes before kick-off.
Mourinho referred to Dybala as ‘an artist’ after Roma’s defeat in the last game against the Bianconeri. Now, with Dybala injured, the question is how will Roma replace him?
“If there is no art, we’ll need work, humility, and desire. We have empathy with the fans, so we try to bring the best result at home.
“We must play as a team, we can’t play individually,” Mourinho continued. “There are teams who do it, we are more like a team and we must do what is possible to be solid and play at our best.”
Mourinho’s plans to replace Dybala are revealed
Roma’s defeat against Feyenoord in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals took place on Thursday, and they will now face the Dutch side in Rome next week for the second leg. The question now is how will Roma respond in their upcoming match?
“Hopefully well. A team that plays in Europe suffers a bit when facing an opponent that has had a week to prepare for the match,” argued the Special One.
“They [Udinese] are organised, but this is the situation and I prefer to be in Europe with these difficulties than not be there at all.”
Due to injuries to Dybala and Tammy Abraham, Andrea Belotti will start as the forward for the Giallorossi against Udinese. He will aim to score his first goal of the Serie A season.
“It’s an important game, we have targets to play for and want to reach them. We want to make up for the defeat in Europa League, the best thing is to have another chance now,” said the Italian striker.
“I always want to do well. And I try to make the most of every single chance. I hope I can also contribute by scoring goals,” he added.
“Dybala and Abraham are two key players for us, but we’ve always thought that the strength of this group is the unity and whoever replaces them will do well.”
