Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini has taken another swipe at Real Madrid, suggesting that Genoa posed a greater tactical challenge than Jose Mourinho’s side.
The Italian side suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Los Blancos, who scored three goals in 10 minutes to overturn a deficit and secure a 4-3 victory.
As quoted by Diario AS, Gasperini made the remarks after Roma’s 2-0 victory over Genoa.
Gasperini makes surprising Genoa comparison
The Italian coach praised Genoa’s tactical approach and suggested that Daniele De Rossi’s team had made life more difficult for Roma than Madrid.
“Although Genoa perhaps don’t have Real Madrid’s star players technically, tactically they caused us more problems than Madrid,” Gasperini claimed.
It was an interesting assessment, given that Roma had surrendered their advantage against Mourinho’s men just days earlier.
Carlos Espi scored one of Madrid’s three comeback goals against Roma. (Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images)
Gasperini also insisted that his side had deserved to beat Madrid and remained frustrated by the circumstances surrounding their collapse.
“It was devastating, of course, to lose that way,” he admitted, before blaming defensive mistakes for Roma’s collapse during a decisive seven-minute spell.
“We deserved to win and complicated our lives in seven minutes because of three corners,” he explained.
The Roma coach went even further, claiming Madrid had barely threatened his team before staging their dramatic comeback.
“They didn’t create any danger for us,” he insisted, suggesting that the goals came from situations Roma should have controlled.
Madrid have the result that matters
The comparison with Genoa is certainly interesting, but it also shows how deeply the defeat to Madrid continues to frustrate Gasperini.
There is a reasonable argument that Roma enjoyed long periods of control against Mourinho’s side.
Mourinho’s side eventually secured the three points against Roma. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Madrid’s defensive problems were evident, and the Spanish giants cannot afford to overlook them.
However, tactical superiority means little if a team cannot protect its advantage under pressure.
Madrid punished Roma’s mistakes with the ruthlessness that has defined so many of their memorable European comebacks.
Ultimately, Gasperini’s words cannot change the result. Roma may have impressed their coach, but it was Real Madrid who left the Olimpico with three points.