Economists use something called consumer sentiment index to gauge how people feel about themselves and their prospects. If there was a football equivalent, From Rome will be through the roof. After all, on a random Tuesday night deep in the summer gloom in sun-drenched Rome, about 10,000 showed up welcome Paulo Dybala to the Eternal City.
Perhaps somewhere there is a lesson. Maybe your happiness as a fan and feeling satisfied with your club is not entirely tied to the results, but rather to the emotions the club fosters. If you commit, you’ll be transported and have a buzzing time, especially when the man in charge is Jose Mourinho, who has not for the first time proven he can spark enthusiasm. love and generate buy-in from players, supporters and local media like no other.
Let’s remind ourselves: This is essentially 10,000 people in a largely deserted city except for tourists in the midst of a heatwave who come together to watch Dybala step out of a building and wave after signing a contract. freely transferable. Dybala: a talented player, sure, but not top Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Rather than a guy Juventus walk as a free agent rather than conforming to his contract requirements.
This is where reason and emotion go their separate ways, as they did for most of last season. For many Roma fans at the moment, Mourinho walks on water, just as many mind-scratches.
The latter will tell you that, for sure, Mourinho’s Roma has improved year by year in his first season, but it’s a single place in the table (seventh to sixth) and a single point. the most (from 62 to 63). And this is after spending more, in net terms, than all but two teams in Europe (Arsenal and City of Manchester). Sure, they won a European Cup for the first time in over 60 yearsBut, on the other hand, it’s the Europa Conference League and they’ve lost to Bodo Glimt (twice) of Norway along the way.
They will go further and tell you that, after a more proactive start to the season, Mourinho’s football is back to the way it was: in general safety first and somewhat out of touch with the dominant style of play. High touch/holding is preferred by most of the top European players. sides. They will question whether the slight improvement in results justifies the massive financial outlay (not just summer spending, but the fact that Roma has the fourth highest wage bill in the country). Series A and Mourinho is the second highest paid coach in the league, which means you expect a higher salary).
They might wonder why people are so excited about newcomers: injured and unstable Dybala (turns 29 in November), who is also prone to injuries and has recently faded. Nemanja Matic (age 34 on Monday) and Turkey defender Zeki Celik (Good player, but, at the age of 25, we already see that he is not the next Cafu). And they will probably be right. But, sometimes, many things can be true. An equally fact is that currently, Mourinho has the whole city in the palm of his hand. And they absolutely love it.
It’s not easy to put your finger on it. Yes, winning the Europa Conference League helped – it would be nice to win a trophy – but Mourinho has very well cemented his grip on the previous team. Besides, the year before, 2020-21, they also went through in Europe, reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League (beating Ajax and Shaktar along the way) and no one liked his predecessor, Paulo Fonseca (despite the fact that he had less time at work).
There’s much more than that. More than Mourinho draws crowds on the sidelines and delivers sound shocks after the game. More than Tammy Abraham’s 27 goals, Lorenzo Pellegrini’s driving, more than just glimpses of By Nicolo Zaniolo Unique skill set.
We’ve seen Mourinho do what he does to great effect during his first stint at Chelseaduring his time at Burial and, in part of his time at Real Madrid, Manchester Unitedand Tottenham. We see him connecting with fans and the team in a way that very few managers – even successful ones – do and that in itself can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, like a kind of multiplier effect on the club. Not just in terms of results – again, in a cold, difficult, light-hearted period, Roma have not become a super club in a single season – but in terms of what the fans believe to be. body.
And, when you think about it, that’s the crux of the fandom. What you believe is possible. It’s a sales job, for sure, but ask any leader – whether in the military, in business or in politics – and they’ll tell you half the job is getting people to believe. you are telling them to do.
Will it last? Again, rationally, we in the media will show how it ended at Chelsea (both times), at United, at Spurs, at Real Madrid (basically everywhere. Porto and Inter, the clubs he left after the win Champions League) and hint that it won’t end well, even though they might win something along the way.
But, guess what? Roma believes and does the same Romanisti. That’s what’s important. The past may be prologue, but the future is unwritten. And most Roma fans right now, thanks to Mourinho, find it so bright that they take on nuance.
Broader lesson? That belief has value. The feel-good factor is one thing. The fans at the clubs are, on paper (and in fact) significantly better than Roma (from Manchester United to Atlético Madridfrom Juventus to Chelsea) is facing far more doubts and insecurities than Mourinho’s flock.
