(Reuters) – AS Roma boss Jose Mourinho has compared himself to the fictional character Harry Potter, claiming his presence at the club has heightened fans’ hopes of success. The team, currently sitting in ninth place in Serie A, are only four points behind Fiorentina, who occupy the final qualification spot for next season’s Champions League. Roma are set to face AC Milan on Sunday.
“The Roma fans are the most incredible I have ever seen, the coach is called Jose Harry Mourinho Potter, and he raises expectations,” Mourinho told reporters.
“We are fighting a very difficult battle, but nobody will tell us we can’t fight. Against Milan, we will be there.”
In response to critics, Mourinho defended his professionalism despite recent poor results for the team. Roma have only managed to collect five points from their last five league matches and suffered a 1-0 loss to city rivals Lazio in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday.
“I do not accept in any way that my professionalism and dignity, my heart for this job, can be questioned,” Mourinho said.
“If there is a perfect example of professionalism, it is me. I have never missed one match in over 20 years of my career.”
Mourinho also stated that Paulo Dybala would not be starting against Milan due to an injury sustained by the Argentine forward during the match against Lazio. “Dybala is a truly special player, who in recent years has played in teams with lots of other special players. We don’t have another with his characteristics,” the Portuguese coach noted.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond)
