Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen
UEFA Europa League
Semi-Final
1st leg
Thursday
11th May 2023
Olimpico
AS Roma coach José Mourinho has analyzed the upcoming opponent Bayer Leverkusen well and knows how much speed there is in the team. Towards the first leg in the semi-finals of the Europa League, the Portuguese received a lot of laughs, as is often the case.
Mourinho guards against ‘Olympic athletes’ like Frimpong
Thursday’s game also means a reunion between Mourinho and Xabi Alonso. The two worked together as a player-coach at Real Madrid. “We had a great relationship, more than usual between a player and a coach,” Mourinho said at the press conference in Rome.
Opponent Bayer Leverkusen has been studied extensively and what Mourinho saw impressed him. Bayer is the team with the best counterattack I’ve ever seen. Alonso uses a style of play that suits his players. Five or six of his players can run the 100 meters with Marcell Jacobs at the Olympic Games,” Mourinho refers to the Italian athlete who won gold twice at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Mourinho will be particularly impressed by the speed of two players. Moussa Diaby and Jeremie Frimpong are real speed demons according to Bundesliga statistics. Diaby reached a top speed of 36.52 kilometers per hour and is third on this season’s record list. The counter stopped at Frimpong at 36 kilometers per hour, good for a place in the top five.
Fastest players in Bundesliga
| Player | Club | Top speed |
| Karim Adeyemi | Borussia Dortmund | 36.65 km/h |
| Alphonso Davies | Bayern Munich | 36.53 km/h |
| Moussa Diaby | Bayer Leverkusen | 36.52 km/h |
| Nathan Ngoumou | Borussia M’Gladbach | 36.17 km/h |
| Jeremy Frimpong | Bayer Leverkusen | 36 km/h |
| Sheraldo Becker | 1. FC Union Berlin | 36 km/h |
Mourinho responds with a wink to Paris Saint-Germain rumors
José Mourinho has not been approached by Paris Saint-Germain. The name of the Portuguese is singing around as a possible successor to Christophe Galtier, who is on the kicking chair.
According to RMC Sport, there has been contact between PSG technical director Luis Campos and AS Roma coach Mourinho. The latter, however, refers to the realm of fables. “If PSG looked for me, they didn’t find me because I didn’t get a call. I’ve never spoken to them,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.
What will happen to Galtier is currently unclear, but according to French media, it is anything but certain that he will be allowed to continue as PSG trainer. It is already over in the Champions League and the club has lost many points in the competition, although the national title is up for grabs.
Mourinho is tied for seventh place in Serie A with Roma. On Thursday evening, the Italians will face Bayer Leverkusen in the semi-finals of the Europa League.
