Edin Dzeko has scored in five of his last six Europa League appearances for Roma.
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Roma defender Roger Ibanez has stated that the players will be treating the upcoming second leg against English giants Manchester United, as “another important game”. The Giallorossi will look to overcome a 6-2 first-leg deficit, following a shambolic performance in defence. The Brazilian defender was interacting with reporters ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg. Ibanez will play a crucial role in helping Roma pull off a comeback against the odds, with the urgency in his tone a good sign for the fans of the Serie A club.
“It will be another important game for us. We need to play with the same attitude as always – even if it is a different sort of challenge, as we need to try and complete a comeback. In football nothing is impossible. We will try and do everything we can out there on the pitch,” he said as quoted by the official website of AS Roma.
Ibanez added that he was not feeling any pressure with regard to the weight of expectations, considering new manager Jose Mourinho is known to closely track player performances.
“No. We go into every game playing for ourselves and the club we represent. And that’s what we will always do. We don’t play just to impress a new coach.”
The 22-year-old further stated that the players felt a responsibility to demonstrate their true quality in the upcoming second leg.
“We always feel that responsibility. We always need to play with the same confidence and focus, and the talent we have, in order to represent this club well and make the fans proud,” he concluded.
Mourinho has agreed a three-year contract with the Giallorossi that will run until 30 June 2024. He will begin his new role ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.
Mourinho is one of only three managers to date to have won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs, a feat he has also repeated in the UEFA Europa League. The list of clubs he has previously managed includes FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur which is incredible, to say the least.
