Jose Mourinho was booed before kick-off at San Siro on Sunday night – which was utterly unsurprising. After all, his Roma side were playing AC Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza – not Mourinho’s beloved Inter, with whom the Portuguese shares an unbreakable bond forged by the Nerazzurri’s treble triumph of 2010. It was inevitable that as soon as his face appeared on the big screen, Milanisti would make their disapproval heard.
What was noteworthy, though, was the vitriol to which Mourinho’s team were subjected by their own fans after the game, which ended in a 3-1 win for the hosts. As Roma’s players went to acknowledge the 4,000-strong travelling support, they were met with open hostility and challenged to prove their testicular fortitude. “We’ve hit rock bottom,” striker Andrea Belotti admitted afterwards.
Mourinho wasn’t present for this bitter backlash, with his latest suspension for lashing out at officials meaning he had been once again prevented from taking a seat on the bench, forced instead to watch on from the stands. But he didn’t escape criticism. Indeed, for the first time since he took charge of Roma in 2021, some supporters are starting to question Mourinho’s methods.
One frustrated fan wrote online, “Mourinho has ruined us even more than Monchi” – which was one hell of an accusation, given the disastrous nature of the Spaniard’s tenure as sporting director, but indicative of just how significantly the mood has shifted at Roma.