Roma and Mourinho breathed a sigh of relief over the condition of Lorenzo Pellegrini, who came out at the interval of the Coppa Italia challenge due to a problem with his right thigh. Yesterday’s instrumental tests ruled out injuries, the real weakness of the Giallorossi captain who already in the first part of the season was forced to stop for a month. Lorenzo will then be at the disposal of Mourinho who today, in the final training, will have to evaluate his condition and decide whether to use it from the first minute or the current race. The player already yesterday has given his willingness to play, but it is nothing new: even if not at best he has never pulled back always trying to help the team. If he were to succeed, at that point the other question of the technician would be the use as owner of Zaniolo. Mou is oriented to line up the Fab Four as at San Siro, so the two players already mentioned plus Dybala and Abraham, who looks for the second consecutive goal in the league after the decisive one against AC Milan. Smiles yesterday in Trigoria for the group training of Wijnaldum: the Dutchman worked together with his teammates who did not play in the cup: athletic session and with the ball but without match or contact with his teammates. Progress in recovery, but for the return will have to wait another month.
Return of Smalling
After the (little) turnover with Genoa, tomorrow in an Olympic again sold out all the starters will take the field, except for Ibañez disqualified. In his place will play Kumbulla, starting against Genoa to revive Smalling. The English defender will return to the center of the defense to be the point of reference of the department to defend the goal poles of Rui Patricio. And by the way, since Mourinho has been Roma’s coach, the team has kept a clean sheet in 18 home games in all competitions: thirteen in the league, three in the Conference, one in the Europa League and one in the Coppa Italia. Rui Patricio had five clean sheets at the Stadio Olimpico this year, thirteen in the past season: no team in Serie A has done better than Roma in this period. Only Inter and Juventus have collected the same numbers. However, the figures still don’t add up to Smalling’s renewal: after Thursday’s meeting between Roma and their agent, the defender is considering the offer of an extension but hopes the club can meet his financial demands. The club submitted a two-year offer but at lower figures than the net 3.5 million per year it currently takes. The request of the English prosecutor is higher: a three-year period at those figures, or a two-year period with an engagement similar to the current one. Soon there will be a new update between the parties, the will of the player is to stay in the capital.
