Jose Mourinho stressed on Tuesday that “history does not play” as he prepared his Roma squad to face Sevilla in the final of the Europa League in Budapest. Sevilla is a team that specializes in the Europa League.
The Italian team, who can finish no higher than fifth in Serie A, will face the six-time winners at the Puskas Arena just one year after they won the first-ever Europa Conference League championship. The Italian side’s best result in Serie A will be fifth.
After a grueling trip, Mourinho believed that Roma had earned their spot in the championship game that would be held in the capital of Hungary.
“It has been a long journey, which is different from our opponents, who dropped into this competition from the Champions League,” he said at his pre-match news conference on Tuesday. “Our opponents, on the other hand, dropped into this competition from the Champions League.”
Mourinho stated that he was aware of the Spanish club’s immaculate record in finals of the tournament for Europe’s second-tier level; they have won all six finals in which they have competed.
On the other hand, the Portuguese coach minimized the significance of that accomplishment.
He stated that history is not a game. “History does not play,” he declared. “My coworker, the coach of Sevilla, Jose Luis Mendilibar, has a different viewpoint, and I appreciate what he has to say.
“He feels that Sevilla’s rich history gives them an advantage, and I appreciate that. Because of our hard work and dedication, we have earned a spot in the final.
“They have a past that we do not, and they have experience that we cannot claim to have. It is not unusual for them to compete in the championship game, but for us it is an out-of-the-ordinary occurrence; yet, we will be present when the game begins tomorrow.
Mourinho future?
Mourinho left Inter Milan for Real Madrid shortly after winning the Champions League final in 2010, and he was questioned whether he might do the same thing this year, which could perhaps take away from the excitement of the game.
In response to questions about his next career, he stated, “The situation I had when I was at Inter is very different,” addressing the rumors that have been circulating about him.
I hadn’t actually signed a contract with Real Madrid at that point even though the transaction was done, but at this moment in time I haven’t had any communication with any other teams, which is why we’re talking about a completely different situation. “I hadn’t actually signed a contract with Real Madrid at that stage even though the deal was done.”
“But I really couldn’t care less about it. What is important is us, us, and us; tomorrow, the focus will be all on us, and that is the way we want to play.
Mourinho has won a total of five major European titles during his career. These include two victories in the Champions League, two medals in the Europa League, and the Conference League championship from the previous season.
If Roma are victorious on Wednesday, he would go further ahead of Giovanni Trapattoni, another coach who has won five major European medals throughout the course of his career.
The individual, who is 60 years old, downplayed the concept that his additional expertise at the European level may be important in comparison to that of Mendilibar, who is 62 years old.
“I’ve had more chances to play in Europe, but we’re talking about two coaches who belong to the same generation, with the same amount of years of experience and the same kind of grey hair, so I think we are pretty much level, in a similar situation,” he added. “I’ve had more chances to play in Europe.”
Mendilibar, who only took leadership of the Spanish club in March after a controversial season for the club and who has never won a major prize, said he was thankful of Mourinho’s words. Mendilibar only took charge of the club in March following the traumatic season for the club.
“I’m really grateful for his words but history does not win games and sweet-talking does not win games either,” said the Spaniard, whose club defeated Manchester United and Juventus on the path to the final. “History does not win games and sweet-talking does not win games either,” he said.
“It’s going to be a really challenging situation. We’ve taken out some really strong teams, but the most challenging competition is still to come.
As Mourinho was leaving his news conference, he mentioned that he thought the Argentine striker Paulo Dybala, who has been battling an injury, could be able to play for 20 to 30 minutes.