According to Gazzetta dello Sport, after their loss in Manchester, Roma became the first team in Champions League history to throw away a two-goal lead twice in a single season.
First in control, then overturned. Yesterday at Old Trafford, Roma once again experienced a bitter déjà vu. In the Champions League group stage, they dropped points again after leading by two goals. Gasperini's team showed two faces once more: unstoppable in the first half, but clearly too soft in the second.
Against Real Madrid, the collapse came in the last 7 minutes. Yesterday, against a Manchester United side on the brink, Roma endured at least 40 minutes of torment, including a controversial penalty and multiple mistakes from players such as Malen.
Too Many Comebacks Conceded
"This is not a coincidence," Gasperini admitted. In 2021, he went through the same experience at Old Trafford with Atalanta, who led 2-0 in the first half thanks to goals from Pasalic and Demiral. In the second half, the Red Devils completed the comeback, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the winner nine minutes from time.
The result was the same, but the circumstances were different. This Roma side is no stranger to squandering the fruits of brilliant spells. They are the first team in a single Champions League/European Cup season to lose two matches after leading by at least two goals.
Including the draw in Istanbul, they have dropped 8 points from winning positions in this competition, which is also the most. The same pattern appears in the league: a two-goal lead against Internazionale was squandered in the second half, and 8 of the 10 goals they have conceded this season have come after the break. Many goals were conceded early: against Napoli, McTominay scored in the 3rd minute; against Udinese, Zaniolo scored in the 50th minute; and against Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes scored in the 58th minute.
There were also Lautaro's goal against Internazionale in the 46th minute, Ederson's goal against Atalanta in the 47th minute, and Archie Brown's goal against Fenerbahçe in the 48th minute. This recurring "power outage" turns the period after the restart into a golden opportunity for opponents.
Reasons
With so many similarities, it is hard to call it mere coincidence. What is certain is that Gasperini's style is extremely demanding, and it is impossible to sustain such high intensity for 90 minutes. For this reason, the team particularly needs a Plan B when their physical condition declines, especially against opponents of a certain caliber.
However, Roma seem unable to adapt under pressure, always trying to solve problems one-on-one, even when some players on the pitch are clearly running on empty. The two goals conceded to Cunha in the closing stages yesterday illustrate this. "In terms of confrontation and game intensity, we should have had more stoppages and more physical duels. We were somewhat overwhelmed by their impact," Gasperini admitted. Another problem is psychological. Against both Real Madrid and Manchester United, Roma did not react after conceding. Instead, the opponents found large spaces, twisted the knife, and snatched away three points that had seemed out of reach just minutes earlier.
Thin Squad
This brings us back to Plan B. Gasperini had spent the whole summer hoping to add two players with different characteristics from those already at his disposal: two impactful players who could push the team higher up the pitch when fatigue set in and cover more ground on the counter-attack.
The targets were clear: Greenwood, Summerville, Leweling, or Endrick. For various reasons, these deals all fell through at the last minute. Gasperini is now making the same demands for the January transfer window.
Roma's squad is clearly more complete than last season's, but it is not yet deep enough to maintain the same level across three competitions, especially when injuries hit midfield and attack, as they inevitably will. The pace of the Champions League is different from that of the league. To truly compete and advance, they need substitutes the team will not miss the starters for. Considering that Roma have returned to Europe's top competition after a seven-year absence, such a growth process is normal.
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