Fabio Capello has criticised the Manchester United squad after their Champions League comeback win over his former club, Roma, saying the defeat hurts more than a previous loss to Real Madrid because United's players are "average."
Capello's Verdict on United's Squad
Roma had led 3-1 at home to Real Madrid in their second match of this season's league phase, entering the 83rd minute, before conceding three goals and losing on Jose Mourinho's return to the Stadio Olimpico. Three weeks later, Capello believes there are more regrets from the two-goal lead they squandered at Old Trafford, where Matheus Cunha scored two late goals to complete United's comeback.
Explaining the difference, the former England manager said while working as a pundit on Sky's Champions League coverage in Italy: "This Manchester United team does not have exceptional players who can turn a game around from one minute to the next. They have average players. That's why it hurts more than against Real Madrid."
Florenzi and Gasperini Weigh In
Roma's former captain Alessandro Florenzi agreed with Capello, saying: "This one hurts a lot more than Real Madrid, because they conceded three goals in seven minutes, but still played 83 excellent minutes of football. In Manchester, they only played one half. There are more regrets here."
Speaking to Sky after the match, Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini disputed the notion that there were similarities between the two defeats, saying: "No, I believe this was a different game. Against Real Madrid, it all happened in a matter of minutes from corner kicks. There were no clear signs, unlike what I saw tonight. After the penalty, we were unable to keep up with them."
Asked again by Sky to compare the two matches, he said: "It's not a matter of coincidence. Tonight, we didn't have the energy to push hard against their forwards in the second half. And apart from that, we conceded two unfortunate goals: the first on that penalty that was retaken, while the second following an unfortunate situation. Maybe it happened when the game was rebalanced. Because it's perfectly normal for a team to have those 15 or 20 minutes of suffering against Manchester United."
Gasperini concluded: "There may be a bit of a psychological drop, some disappointment: you see victory slip away as you were about to win against Real Madrid. This team perhaps needs to stop feeling the pressure to win at all costs. Tonight's game has taught us more than all the others."
