Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini has hit back at Jose Mourinho after the Real Madrid boss described Roma’s players as “dead” following their dramatic Champions League defeat at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma had controlled large parts of the encounter before conceding three goals from corners in a devastating late collapse that allowed the Spanish giants to secure victory.
Mourinho, speaking to Amazon Prime, suggested Roma’s players had run out of energy during the closing stages.
“On the 3-1 they thought the game was dead, but in reality the Roma players were dead,” he said.
Gasperini rejected the assessment, insisting his side had performed better than Real Madrid for most of the contest despite failing to hold on to their advantage.
“I don’t think so. It seems to me that if anyone couldn’t take it anymore, it was them.
“We could have scored a few more goals.
“They were outclassed in every department.
“They scored the goals and they rightly count, they were good at using their physicality.
“For the rest, they certainly weren’t up to the task,” the Roma manager replied.
The Italian was particularly frustrated by his side’s defensive vulnerability from set-pieces, saying Roma had appeared solid before conceding their late goals.
Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, Gasperini said: “We got stuck at the finish line, paralyzed, yet even in the first half they had taken corners and we hadn’t shown this fragility.
“They scored goals far too easily; in a match like this, these episodes shouldn’t have happened.
“It’s hard to get back up after a defeat like this.
“We must start again from the match up until the goals were conceded, we must react, otherwise everything good we’ve done is cancelled out.”
Roma’s problems were compounded by injuries to Manu Kone and Paulo Dybala, who were both forced off during the match.
Gasperini confirmed that Kone had suffered a muscular problem, while Dybala experienced tightness in his calf.
“For Kone, it’s a muscular problem, while Dybala felt his calf tighten up a bit. Kone’s issue seems a little more serious. In these high-intensity games, minor injuries are inevitable, but we will react strongly to this setback,” he said.
Reflecting on Roma’s collapse in the final 10 minutes, Gasperini suggested his players had struggled to remain composed when the match reached a decisive stage.
“Perhaps there was a lack of personality and we didn’t grasp that the moment was crucial. This is part of football, even if it’s unusual. We have to find the strength to start again from those 80 good minutes and respond,” he explained.
The Roma boss also admitted his team needed to improve when opponents used their physical strength to threaten the penalty area.
“Some teams just throw men forward. We are vulnerable in those situations. It happens against these sides with significant physicality, and it is a situation where we must improve,” he said.
Despite the defeat, Gasperini maintained that Roma had competed well against Real Madrid and argued that the decisive goals came from set-pieces rather than an overall loss of physical strength.
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“It wasn’t a physical drop because even at 3-1, we kept playing and could have finished some moves better.
“The goals came from those set-plays, which is their credit. We leave disappointed, but we were better than Real.
“They only had that one weapon.
“We go from euphoria to disappointment, and it must be digested quickly.”
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