Jose Mourinho will undoubtedly go down as one of football’s best managers, but it is his big personality that may well be remembered the most, whether it be his work as the Premier League’s pantomime villain, or as an Instagram influencer at AS Roma.Some may have questioned his tactics in the past, too, accusing the self-proclaimed ‘special one’ of using the dark arts of football to secure silverware across Europe, taking a more negative approach to the beautiful game.The days of Mourinho sprinting down the Old Trafford touchline are over, however, but he still has the knack for making headlines.His latest act – as if he is trying to balance things out after the early drama of his career – saw AS Roma reduced to 10 men in a pre-season friendly with Partizani.You would assume that this was the referee and his red card’s doing. That was anything but the case, though. Instead, it was Mourinho, himself, who reduced his side. The question, then, is why?

Why did Jose Mourinho substitute Houssem Aouar?

It wouldn’t have shocked us if Mourinho reduced his side to simply send a statement to an underperforming player, but the answer, on this occasion, is far more commendable.

As reported by Corriere Dello Sport, Partizani manager Zoran Zekic mistakenly attempted to substitute a player for another he had already brought off, the referee intervened to rule the change out, and forced the Albanian side to play with 10 men. Now feels like the perfect time to remind everyone, including the referee, that this was a pre-season friendly…

Noticing the mix-up, in a true act of sportsmanship, Mourinho reduced his side to 10 men later in the game, sacrificing summer arrival Houssem Aouar in the 79th minute of play, much to the midfielder’s confusion.

The Frenchman was quick to share his bafflement and anger with his manager, who, in turn, explained the reason for the decision.

You can see footage of the incident here:

Following the act, Partizani’s Tedi Cara, ironically a substitute, scored what would only prove to be a consolation strike from the spot in the 85th minute, as Roma ran out 2-1 winners, courtesy of goals from Stephan El Shaarawy and Andrea Belotti.

How did AS Roma perform in pre-season?

As they look to extend the trend of a different team winning the Scudetto for the past four seasons, following the victories of Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Napoli, Roma had themselves a fairly successful pre-season.

Starting their run of friendlies up against Braga, El Shhaarawy’s goal was cancelled out by Bruma to end things level at 1-1, before the Serie A side picked up their first win of pre-season against Estrela Amadora, winning 4-2.

Following that win, however, Mourinho’s side suffered their first defeat, losing 2-1 against Ligue 1 side Toulouse.

They then ended their preparations with the aforementioned 2-1 victory over Partizani.

So, overall, Roma enjoyed a solid pre-season, and now turn their attention towards the opening day of the Serie A season, which will see them square off against Salernitana next weekend.

Somehow, we doubt Mourinho will show the same kind of sportsmanship that he showed against Partizani when actual points are on the line.