“Teatri i Ëndrrave” has become the “Theatre of Nightmares” for Roma. The Italian side suffered another painful Champions League defeat, squandering a 2-0 lead against Manchester United and leaving “Old Trafford” with a 3-2 loss.
The problem for the giallorossi is no longer just an isolated defeat. Collapses are turning into a worrying phenomenon that risks becoming a genuine syndrome for the side led by Gian Piero Gasperini.
Roma showed two completely different faces. In the first half they were convincing, aggressive and dominant. The 2-0 lead even seemed insufficient, as Donyell Malen and Matías Soulé had good chances to score a third goal.
Manchester United struggled against the Italians’ play to such an extent that their first shot on target, though inaccurate, came only after 26 minutes, through Baleba.
Everything changed after the break.
The substitution of Pisilli with Mora, which in hindsight may be considered a not particularly well-judged decision, was only the beginning of the problems. In the first seconds of the second half, Baleba seriously threatened Roma’s goal after an individual effort, but a muscle injury saved the giallorossi from a dangerous situation.
Then came the penalty incident, bringing back the fear of another collapse, just as had happened against Real Madrid.
Individual errors proved decisive. Balerdi, who until that point had played a very good match and was among the most prominent players alongside Soulé in the first half, made a serious error by gifting Cunha the chance to score the equaliser.
The nightmare was completed at the end, when Manchester United scored the third goal. In this move, Balerdi kept Lacey onside and then failed to stop Cunha, who sealed the English side’s comeback.
The statistics are worrying. In four Champions League matches, Roma have had three instances where they failed to hold on to a lead. It all started in Istanbul, in the 1-1 draw with Fenerbahçe, where the Turkish side equalised early in the second half Cristante’s goal.
Then came the catastrophe at the “Olimpico”. Roma led 3-1, but conceded three goals in the final eight minutes, all following corners, suffering an incredible defeat.
Now, at “Old Trafford”, history repeated itself. Roma failed to control the game in the second half and were punished by individual errors. Mancini conceded the penalty, while Balerdi made a serious mistake that allowed Cunha to level the score at 2-2.
After four matches, Gasperini’s side have collected just four points in the Champions League. A figure that could have been completely different if matches ended after 45 minutes.
In such a scenario, Roma would have ten points: a win in Turkey, a draw against Real Madrid and victories over Slovan and Manchester United.
But football does not recognise hypothetical results, and points lost cannot be recovered. Roma must now focus on the league, where they face two fixtures that on paper are considered manageable: against Sassuolo at home and Parma away.
Afterwards, on 25 November, the giallorossi return to the European stage for a very difficult away trip to Paris, against PSG.
Gasperini’s hope is that by then several important players who are currently out with injuries will have returned. Svilar, Koné and Dybala are three names who could give the squad more options.