‘Harry Potter Mourinho’ – AS Roma boss Jose Mourinho on surpassing expectations with Serie A before AC Milan clash

Jose Mourinho compared himself to JK Rowling’s famous boy wizard Harry Potter for his work with AS Roma.

This is despite a mixed run of form in recent weeks which has seen the Giallorossi win only one of their last four games across all competitions, most recently losing 1-0 to city rivals Lazio in the Coppa Italia.

It was a fourth defeat in six Rome derbies for Mourinho, and the Portuguese admits that his glorious achievements from the past has added to the hype surrounding his side.

"The Roma fans are the most incredible I have seen. Their coach is Jose 'Harry Potter' Mourinho and he raises expectations," he said in his pre-match press conference.

"I don't know how many derbies I've played, 200, 150, they are always special matches. I've won, I've drawn, I've lost, always with a different experience.

"I have always understood that for a Chelsea fan, a game against Manchester City is not the same as a game against Arsenal. That for Inter, a game against Roma is not the same as a game against Juventus. I understand what a derby means. The derby we played was an important derby."

Mourinho has been linked with a move away from the Stadio Olimpico with his current contract set to expire at the end of this season, but reaffirmed his commitment to the Serie A side.

"I've been here for two years and five months and I'm the only person here who hasn't missed a single training session in that time," he explained.

"For me there are no illnesses or bad moods. For two-and-a-half years I haven't done anything wrong, not even a couple of weeks ago when everyone was sick.

"I do not accept in any way that my professionalism and dignity, my heart for this job, can be questioned. If there is a perfect example of professionalism, it is me. I have never missed one match in over 20 years of my career."

His next task is a match away at third-place AC Milan – live on TNT Sports and discovery+ – with the Rossoneri also looking to recover from a Coppa Italia defeat of their own against Atalanta.

“We face a team that is playing for the title, who won it two years ago. Obviously it seems that the distance in points between them and Juventus and Inter is not an easy gap to close, but it is a team that has lost some important players due to injuries.

“It’s a team that certainly wants to win after the defeat in the cup, which was a target for them. They will put everything into this match, they know our difficulties, it seems everyone knows them. Maybe some journalists or commentators don’t know them. Everyone knows our difficulties.”

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