Mourinho bemoans ‘too weak, too nice’ players after Juve collapse

Jose Mourinho blasted his Roma players for being “too nice and too weak” on Sunday after they threw away a two-goal lead in the space of eight devastating minutes to lose 4-3 to Juventus.

Having been the better team, and 3-1 ahead with 20 minutes remaining, Roma fell apart in a barely believable fashion and found themselves behind with 76 minutes on the clock.

Quick-fire goals from Manuel Locatelli, Dejan Kulusevski and Mattia De Sciglio left the Stadio Olimpico in Rome stunned and Mourinho questioning the character of a team who also missed a penalty after going behind and sits eighth in Serie A as a result.

“It was 70 minutes of complete control… We did very well for 70 minutes, but after that, it was a psychological collapse,” Mourinho told DAZN.

“When you’re in the shit, you’re supposed to get back up and show what you’re made of, but there are people in the changing room here who are a bit too nice, a bit too weak.

“For 70 minutes we put in a performance that is also the result of the talent we have… (but) there is often a lack of personality in how they manage their emotions.”

The crushing defeat for Roma is yet another against one of Italy’s big clubs this season and comes a few days after they were outplayed and beaten by an AC Milan team missing almost their entire first-choice backline and with key players either at the Africa Cup of Nations or out with Covid-19.

“I told the players after the Milan defeat that they need to have a mentality more like mine,” Mourinho added.

“I’m not the one who needs to get a psychological profile like theirs — I don’t want to.”