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Roma manager Jose Mourinho has called himself “Jose ‘Harry Potter’ Mourinho” and suggested he has raised expectations of what the club can achieve.
His comments came after Roma were knocked out of the Coppa Italia at the quarterfinal stage with a 1-0 defeat to rivals Lazio on Wednesday.
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Mourinho said be believes fans expect more from him because of his successful career.
“The Roma fans are the most incredible I have seen. Their coach is Jose ‘Harry Potter’ Mourinho and he raises expectations,” he said.
“I don’t know how many derbies I’ve played, 200, 150, they are always special matches. I’ve won, I’ve drawn, I’ve lost, always with a different experience.
“I have always understood that for a Chelsea fan, a game against Manchester City is not the same as a game against Arsenal. That for Inter, a game against Roma is not the same as a game against Juventus.
“I understand what a derby means. The derby we played was an important derby.”
Mourinho has referenced Potter before, as he claimed he “is not Harry Potter” while manager of Real Madrid in a bid to temper expectations.
Roma are four points off fourth place Fiorentina in the race for a spot in next season’s Champions League and have also qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League.
His contract runs out at the end of the season, but said he is committed to the club.
“I’ve been here for two years and five months and I’m the only person here who hasn’t missed a single training session in that time,” Mourinho said.
“For me there are no illnesses or bad moods. For two and a half years I haven’t done anything wrong, not even a couple of weeks ago when everyone was sick.
“I do not accept in any way that my professionalism and dignity, my heart for this job, can be questioned. If there is a perfect example of professionalism, it is me. I have never missed one match in over 20 years of my career.”