MOURINHO SATISFIED WITH TEAM'S RESPONSE IN COMBATIVE DRAW
Jose Mourinho was pleased with his side's response on Sunday night, as they drew 0-0 with Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Giallorossi needed a response after the midweek disaster in Norway, and they managed that as they prevented the early league leaders from winning for the first time this season.
Here's what Mourinho had to say about the game...
What was the match like for you – is a draw a good result?
“I thought it was a great game. That’s the feeling I got, although perhaps you saw it differently. With the pressure surrounding this game, I got the feeling it was a quality contest.
“A 0-0 draw seems like a fair result to me, although it could have been 1-0 to us and we would have felt that was fair and if it had finished 1-0 to them they would probably have thought the same. It was a really tough game for both sides.
“I thought it was a high-quality contest where both sides showed great intensity and concentration. There wasn’t fear there, but there was certainly respect. The defence really worked hard and the other players did their part to close the spaces on the counter. I really thought it was a high-quality contest.”
Defensively you were almost perfect – what changed today?
“The two full-backs are doing better, the give-and-take between Veretout and Cristante in the centre of midfield was done really well too. One of them always felt comfortable bringing the ball out because they knew the other was covering behind them.
“Obviously in this game, considering how Napoli like to play, it was important that Zaniolo and Mkhitaryan closed down the spaces and they did that well. Today, because of the way Fabian Ruiz plays and how important he is to their attacking rhythm, we had Pellegrini drop a bit deeper and, rather than a 4-4-2 out of possession, Abraham played centrally – leaving the defenders to take the ball into midfield, where we weren’t pressing. It was a really intense game and there are a few tired players in there, but it is a tiredness I like because it means they’ve worked hard."
(Photo LaPresse)
