Mourinho shows why he is 'the special one' with weird substitution in Roma v Partizani

AS Roma boss Jose Mourinho || Imago

Mourinho shows why he is 'the special one' with weird substitution in Roma v Partizani

Faruq Ibrahim 16:38 - 14.08.2023

AS Roma boss Jose Mourinho receives plaudits for bizarre substitution in Roma's pre-season friendly match.

Jose Mourinho is one of the greatest managers of his generation, not only for the success borne from his nous but also for his charisma and mannerisms.  

Roma's pre-season friendly match against Partizani Tirana, in which the Giallorossi won 2-1, was another example of the Portuguese manager's incredible sportsmanship. 

The former Chelsea boss, in a show of leniency, spared the opposing team manager, who made a grave error with his substitutions, leading to praise for what was regarded by many as a "class act."

What happened 

Last season's Europa League finalists played their final preparatory friendly ahead of the new Serie A season on Saturday against Albanian side Partizani Tirana.

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The Italian side won 2-1, but the headlines focused on Jose's decision to sub out new signing Houssem Aouar without bringing on a replacement in his stead.  

The manager's decision baffled many, but a recent report by the Mirror has now explained the reason behind Mourinho's bizarre choice. 

According to the report, the manager of the Albanian side, Zoran Zekic, erroneously made a substitution, replacing one of his players with another that had previously been substituted.  

The referee on the day refused to allow him to rectify his mistake, and what followed was Mourinho substituting Aouar without a replacement, leaving the game ten against ten. 

Mourinho removed Houssem Aouar without replacing him, playing 10v10 against Partizani
Mourinho removed Houssem Aouar without replacing him, playing 10v10 against Partizani || FaktaBola Twitter

The report claims Jose did this for two reasons: one was to give the French-Algerian rest ahead of the new season, and the other was to restore numerical parity for the sake of 'fairness.'

Roma were comfortably in a 2-0 lead at the time, thanks to goals from Stephan El Shaarawy and Andrea Bellotti. However, following the substitution, Partizani pulled one back, and the game eventually ended 2-1. 

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