Mourinho: 'A player who betrayed Roma'

Striker Tammy Abraham opened the scoring in the 80th minute for Roman, but just five minutes later, Andrea Pinamonti equalized a point for hosts Sassuolo. This result caused Jose Mourinho's teachers and students to miss the opportunity to enter the Top 3.

Coach Mourinho was clearly disappointed in the post-match press conference. He said: "I regret that a player betrayed the efforts of the whole team. A point on Sassuolo's field is not a negative thing, but I am disappointed by the unprofessional attitude of that player."

Mourinho did not reveal who he was referring to. The Portuguese coach only added: "I used 16 players in this match, of which 15 showed a good attitude. In January 2023, that player will have to leave Roma but I am not sure. The deal will be successful."

Corriere dello Sport newspaper said that Mourinho was referring to right-back Rick Karsdorp. He entered the field in the 65th minute instead of defender Zeki Celik, but many times did not follow the opponent closely. Sassuolo's equalizer also came from the right wing of Roma, when Karsdorp did not chase Armand Lauriente and let the midfielder cross for Pinamonti to score. In addition, the Dutch defender also repeatedly failed to pass, lost the ball or crossed the wrong address.

Karsdorp was born on February 11, 1995, grew up in Feyenoord before joining Roma in the summer of 2017 for a transfer fee of 16 million USD under coach Eusebio Di Francesco. He was seriously injured and rarely played in the first three seasons, but took the official position in the last two seasons. The 27-year-old defender has a contract with Roma until June 2025.

In the previous round, Roma lost to the away team Lazio 0-1 in the derby, with the mistake of midfielder Roger Ibanez. But Mourinho defended the player when he said: "I will never mention him. We win together and lose together."

This time, Mourinho was disappointed with Karsdorp's attitude and there was no excuse. "The Roma players may feel it's unfair because another person keeps the whole team from getting three points," he added.

If they beat Sassuolo, Roma will climb to third in Serie A, just behind Napoli and Milan. But they are currently sixth, behind both Lazio, Inter and Atalanta. In round 15 on November 13, Roma returned to Olimpico to receive Turin.