01 December 2023 , 08:19
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Roma boss Jose Mourinho has slammed Houssem Aouar and his players for their "sluggish attitude" following his side's 1-1 Europa League draw at Servette.
Romelu Lukaku gave Roma the lead in the first half before Chris Bedia equalised and earned a share of the spoils for the Swiss side. The result leaves their hopes of finishing top in Group G finely in the balance, having picked up 10 points from a possible 15 in the Europa League.
I Giallorossi, who sit two points behind table toppers Slavia Prague, now face the possibility of a play-off to make it into the last 16 of the competition. Mourinho's men have guaranteed qualification to the knockout phase and face Sheriff in their final match of the group on December 14.
After the stalemate against Servette, Mourinho could not help but criticise his players for their lacklustre approach, with the ex-Chelsea boss singling out Aouar, in the meantime. "We had important opportunities, but the start of the second half was something that happens too often to us," Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.
"It's a pity that you don’t have a camera in our locker room at half-time, because every time I make it clear to them that the opponents playing at home who are a goal down will come out fighting. That is a natural reaction, it is something we expect.
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"Yet again we were superficial in our attitude, in our interpretation of this moment of the match. There are players who once again missed an opportunity to prove themselves, for example, Aouar.
"There are several who are on the bench and come on in Serie A with a great attitude, then in the Europa League they come on with this sluggish attitude, like they are not accustomed to being on the bench and then do not improve the game."
Romelu Lukaku scored for Roma in their 1-1 draw against Servette (Getty Images)Roma's fate on the final matchday is not in their own hands. Mourinho's side will be hoping Servette can do them a favour against Slavia, with the Czech outfit needing three points to guarantee top spot. If Roma finish second, they will face a Champions League third-place side in a play-off tie.
"I don't want to make a drama out of going into the play-off," Mourinho added. "The drama if anything is that we had the wrong attitude from these players and those who come out for the second half like that, repeatedly. I honestly do not understand it. I coached 150 Champions League games, which are much tougher, and yet it seems like there are people who don't have a great history in Europe and play these fixtures with the bare minimum.
"There are those who give their all for 90 minutes and those who seem to turn their noses up at this competition. There are people who feel comfortable with this superficial approach and we pay for it in results."