José Mourinho and Maurizio Sarri assure that they do indeed like each other after the goalless draw in the Derby della Capitale. In the lead-up to the Roman showdown, the coaches were teasing each other.
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Even on the sidelines, it seemed occasionally unfriendly between the experienced coaches during the match, but Mourinho painted a different picture at DAZN. 'He's always funny with me. We joked before the game about the words exchanged during the week. We do like each other.'
Mourinho reacted strongly earlier when Sarri made derogatory comments about Slavia Prague, AS Roma's opponent in the Europa League last Thursday. 'He acts as if Slavia Prague has no quality. I always respect my opponents. Maybe this is the difference in mentality between a coach who has won 26 titles and a coach who has hardly won anything. Every match must be taken seriously; no game is a friendly.'
'We joked after the game that the meaning of the draw is that neither of us will laugh, but we won't cry either in the next two weeks,' Mourinho said. 'That's the meaning of a draw.'
Sarri and Mourinho go way back and have met in the Premier League as managers of Chelsea and Manchester United. 'Our paths crossed before the game,' Sarri shared his side of the story. 'I said to him, 'You're a troublemaker.' He replied, 'You're one too.' I don't like dealing with Mourinho as a media figure, but Mourinho as a person is great.'
Pedro
Mourinho was less pleased with Lazio forward Pedro, who, according to the Portuguese, would have been guilty of diving. 'He's a fantastic player, but he might as well be a swimmer. The way he dives in the pool is amazing.'
