AS Roma are enduring a rocky start to the 2023/24 Serie A season, as they are yet to pick up a win this campaign.
Jose Mourinho isn’t back to the dugout, having been handed a 10-day suspension in June 2023, for inappropriate comments made about referee Daniele Chiffi on May 3, 2023.
It appears the absence of Mourinho is having a seismic impact on the side, having lost one game and drawn once in the Serie A.
The Giallorossi drew 2-2 with Salernitana in their opening game of the Serie A season, before losing 2-1 to Hellas Verona on Matchday 2.
Would Jose Mourinho be in the dugout against AC Milan?
Mourinho is expected to be back to the technical area when Roma trade tackles with AC Milan on Friday, September 1, 2023.
In the meantime, assistant manager Bruno Conti has been coaching the side, but things haven’t been rosy under his tutelage.
Meanwhile, after the expiration of the game against Hella Verona, defender Gianluca Mancini told pressmen that Roma have had “a difficult start” to the campaign.
Mancini acknowledged that picking up one point from two Serie A matches is “unacceptable”.
He said: “It is a difficult start, we struggled today and it is clear that seeing Roma with one point after two rounds is unacceptable.”
AS Roma were also unlucky in the encounter, as midfielder Bryan Cristante and Lorenzo Pellegrini both had their efforts hit the crossbar.
Paulo Dybala was also substituted due to a muscular injury and Nicola Zalewski also exited the pitch following a massive collision in the 51st minute.
Zalewski was replaced by Rick Karsdrop, as the Polish international couldn’t continue due to the injury.
Meanwhile, Gianluca Mancini was also asked if AS Roma are missing the services of Roger Ibanez, who left the club to join Al Ahli this summer for a fee of €30 million.
Ibanez made 149 appearances for Roma, scoring 9 goals and providing 2 assists across all competitions.
Concerning Roger Ibanez, Mancini expressed that AS Roma have no choice but to progress without his services.
He said: “He is a player that you all criticized a great deal in the past, but he’s gone now and we simply have to progress.”
Ondrej Duda and Cyril Ngonge were on target for Hellas Verona, while Houssem Aouar scored the only goal for AS Roma.
AS Roma 2023/24 Serie A season
The Giallorossi currently sit 13th in the Serie A, and despite playing against teams that finished below them in the 2022/23 season, they haven’t been able to produce the needed results.
The need for a striker has been drummed into the ears of the Roma hierarchy this summer, but it is unknown if they would sign any striker before the window closes.
Jose Mourinho in a recent interview opted not to discuss his thoughts on Romelu Lukaku, who has been linked with a possible move to the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma will be squaring up against 1st place AC Milan, and despite Andrea Belloti scoring a brace on his first appearance this season, he isn’t a player to be trusted.
Belotti went the entire 2022/23 season, without scoring any goal in the Italian top-flight division.
