Gasperini: ‘Roma will learn more from Man Utd defeat than Real Madrid’

Gasperini: ‘Roma will learn more from Man Utd defeat than Real Madrid’ Gian Piero Gasperini insists Roma ‘will learn’ from their Champions League collapse at Manchester United , more so than when doing the same with Real Madrid. ‘Disappointment sets in.’ This is evidently now a pattern for the Giallorossi, not just in the Champions League with the 3-1 advantage fumbled against Real Madrid in seven minutes , but in Serie A too when caught for draws after going in front. They were in control at Old Trafford, leading 2-0 after 18 minutes with Matias Soulé and the Donyell Malen penalty, with several opportunities to score a third. However, once Bruno Fernandes converted a soft spot-kick, which was first saved by Devis Vasquez only to be retaken for encroachment, it was a different match, and Matheus Cunha’s late double secured the first Manchester United victory since September 10. Gasperini hopes Roma will learn from mistakes MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 03: Gian Piero Gasperini, Manager of AS Roma, reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD4 match between Manchester United and AS Roma at Old Trafford on November 03, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images) “It was a different game to Real Madrid, where it all happened in the last seven or eight minutes from corner kicks, and there were no real signs of the comeback,” Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia. “This time, it was above all after the penalty that Manchester United had this sudden surge of enthusiasm, and we were unable to keep up with it.” Considering it happened twice in the last three Champions League games, it cannot be a coincidence that Roma crumble when leading. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence, but I also think they were different matches. This evening, we didn’t have the strength to press their strikers the way we did in the first half, plus the penalty and the error for the equaliser really turned the tide. “There is always going to be 15-20 minutes against Manchester United when you’re under pressure, and if you can emerge unscathed from it, you’ll be fine.” MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 03: Gian Piero Gasperini, Manager of AS Roma, reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD4 match between Manchester United and AS Roma at Old Trafford on November 03, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images) The defeat to Real Madrid was dominated for longer, yet because of the calibre of opponent, it feels as if this loss to Manchester United hurts more for Roma because it was such a wasted opportunity. “Honestly, we learned more from this match than the one with Real Madrid. That felt unpredictable, whereas at times today when Old Trafford was pushing on the team, we need to be able to handle these situations better in future,” conceded Gasperini. “They made modifications at half-time and had nothing left to lose, so they pressed high, so perhaps we should’ve made more of long balls in that situation. The problem was we were no longer able to stick to their reference points, so they had the better on pressing, not letting us play, but also on their attacks. That created some problems for us, we probably should’ve tried to interrupt their rhythm a bit more with some extra challenges and slow the tempo down. “The momentum of the match changed with the penalty and the incident for 2-2.” MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 03: Gian Piero Gasperini, Manager of AS Roma, walks down the touchline towards the tunnel following defeat in the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD4 match between Manchester United and AS Roma at Old Trafford on November 03, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) Another recurring mistake Roma are guilty of is crumbling the moment something goes wrong, as within 60 seconds of the Bruno Fernandes penalty, Bryan Mbeumo hit the woodwork, and three minutes after the equaliser was the winning goal. “That’s true, it happened against Real Madrid too, so perhaps there is a bit of disappointment that sets in when you see the victory drifting away. Again, we need the team to take the pressure of a result at all costs off itself, so this game will help us learn more than others,” confirmed Gasperini. MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 03: Gian Piero Gasperini, Manager of AS Roma, looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD4 match between Manchester United and AS Roma at Old Trafford on November 03, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) It was not the best build-up to this match, seeing as both Mile Svilar and Pierluigi Gollini were ruled out by injury, so Vasquez had to make his club debut as third-choice shot-stopper. Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné and Lorenzo Pellegrini were also out, and Devyne Rensch limped off with a muscular issue in the first half, but Nahuel Molina wasn’t introduced. “Molina is an international, but Rensch started very well and had this injury, so I chose Lulli and that used up a slot. Wesley played well defensively, this was not the reason we struggled.”