Roma’s rebirth is the result of the great work by Jose Mourinho, who has quietly strengthened the team he inherited two summers ago.
Despite Roma’s many difficulties, the Portuguese coach has had a magnetic effect to attract players with whom he had either received excellent reports of or that he had coached in the past.
Among the secrets of Roma's upward curve is how Mourinho has been able to create a solid defence by deploying Roger Ibanez, Chris Smalling and Gianluca Mancini in a back three. Leadership of the defence has been entrusted to Smalling, the former Manchester United defender; one of the players Mourinho trusts to provide solidity and identity to his team.