Romelu Lukaku Could End up Playing as Defender for Mourinho Amid Roma's Defensive Crisis

• Roma had to come from behind to beat Cremonese in their Coppa Italia clash
• Jose Mourinho adopted an unorthodox formation that had just two defenders
• He hinted he might need to deploy attackers in defence in upcoming matches

Jose Mourinho has sensationally suggested he could play Romelu Lukaku in defence amid a shortage of defenders at the club.

The Gialorossi had to come from behind on January 3 to beat Cremonese 2-1 thanks to goals from the Belgian and Paulo Dybala, after trailing for most of the game through Frank Tsadjout’s goal.

Roma’s win set up a tense quarter-final in the Coppa Italia, where they will face familiar foes.

The Special One will have to resort to unorthodox measures to curb the SS Lazio threat, as his side is currently devoid of central defenders.

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Against Cremonese, Mourinho deployed a strange 2-4-4 formation at some point, but it eventually paid off as they turned the game around in 13 minutes.

After the game, the former Chelsea boss admitted he had taken a risk, but it ultimately paid off.

"All things considered, we did not struggle that much. We deserve respect for everything that we are doing in all these difficulties. I doubt many teams have won a game when playing without a single central defender," he said, as quoted by Football Italia.

Lukaku could play centre-back

Roma’s injury issues at the back are there for all to see, and it will only get worse as Obite Evan Ndicka is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations for Ivory Coast.

The Gialorossi could do with some reinforcements in January and have been linked with Juventus’ Dean Huijsen.

However, this has not stopped Mourinho from coming up with a strange solution for his defensive problems with crunch games coming up.

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In his post-match interview on Wednesday, the 59-year-old hinted he could play Lukaku at the heart of defence.

"I don’t know how we will keep going. There is a very important game to play on Sunday, this is who we’ve got. If we need Lukaku to play central defence then he will. We play with heart, and respect for the club and for the fans."

According to Transfermarkt, Roma’s central defenders - Chris Smalling, Marash Kumbulla, and Gianluca Mancini - are all out with long-term injuries, although Kumbulla could return in January.

How Mourinho remoulded Cristiano Ronaldo

Sports Brief also previously reported on how Jose Mourinho also played a part in shaping Cristiano Ronaldo into the famed marksman the world knows today.

The Portuguese star has scored over 800 goals in his professional career but may have never reached that tally had it not been for his manager at Real Madrid.