Cobolli names Totti as his all-time greatest, Roma as best club

Roman radio debate has focused on Roma's Champions League defeat at Manchester United and the club's league-phase standing, with several pundits arguing Roma would have collected more points on Como's fixture list. Alessio Nardo of Tele Radio Stereo said: "If Roma had had the exact same calendar as Como, Leipzig at home, Feyenoord away, Manchester at home and Lens away, would they have got the same points in the Champions League? In my opinion they would have got one more point than Como... I'm not saying they would have got 12 points, but 10 yes, and so one more than Como." The debate follows Roma's second defeat of the season, a 2-1 loss at Old Trafford, after an earlier defeat to Real Madrid. Rete Sport's David Rossi said he was disappointed and frustrated by the result, but that it did not signal a deeper problem. He said the Lazio result was what disrupted his assessments, noting that had Lazio not done what they did, Roma would be second, one point behind Inter, and people would be talking about a title push. Rossi questioned why Roma did not play the ball out or break up the game when the score was 1-2 against Manchester, adding: "Everyone does it, everyone, only we never do." Tele Radio Stereo's Valentina Catoni argued that with Svilar in goal, Roma would have taken six more points in the Champions League, since they would have won both the games against Real Madrid and Manchester United. She said Svilar would not have conceded the three goals in similar fashion against Real Madrid, and that Roma did not need a change of calendar to make 10 points. Francesca Ferrazza said she was tired of seeing Como above Roma, adding: "I say these things precisely because I would like Roma to be stronger than Como, not to let themselves be pulled back from comebacks and to have a more important squad. It doesn't seem to me that this means being against them." Lorenzo Pes said Como had impressed him with nine goals in the Champions League, playing a very European style of football, and that they would now face PSG and Barcelona. Mario Corsi said the idea that Como had beaten Manchester United because they played at home was nonsense, describing the atmosphere at Old Trafford as "like a big funeral". Petruzzi said the Manchester defeat did not make him step back, seeing a continuous path of growth, while admitting the team were not yet perfect and still had steps to take. He said he was optimistic about the league, where Roma would be in the top places. Piero Torri of Manà Manà Sport raised the future of head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, whose contract expires at the end of the year. He said he was not sure the club wanted to continue with him, not on results but on mutual affinity, while praising him as a coach who had left a mark on European football. Pruzzo of Radio Radio said Roma must lift their heads and reach the international break without forcing the returns of long-term injured players, pointing to Sassuolo as the ideal opponent. Nando Orsi said Gasperini could have made better changes, but that the main issue was the team's stamina over 90 minutes. On the transfer front, Checco Oddo Casano discussed Kvernadze, reportedly with a 4 million euro clause valid in the summer, and said that a deal could be reached in January, or Roma could agree terms with the player to sign him in June for 4 million, which he said would not suit Frosinone.

Roma's Champions League start and the weeks ahead drew a run of comments from pundits on Rome radio and online outlets, gathered by Romanews.eu in its daily column. Roberto Pruzzo, speaking to Radio Radio, said Sassuolo were probably the right opponent for a Roma side that must pick itself up and reach the international break without forcing back players who have been out for a long time. He added: "Injuries, unfortunately, are now part of a football that is increasingly frantic, forcing players into rhythms and efforts unthinkable a few years ago." The sharpest remarks came from Corsi, speaking to TeleRadioStereo, who recalled the talk that Como had beaten Manchester United because they were at home. He said: "Things like that get said by people who love Roma passionately and fiercely. But how can you say something like that? We went to a stadium where protest was ready, and at Old Trafford it felt like a great funeral. Before the comeback at Old Trafford it looked like a funeral." He also said: "There are plenty of people who have to save the president. Business is going very well for him, so we are happy. Como are an extraordinary side, very strong, and the Champions League seems made for them." Trevisani, speaking to Mana Mana Sport, was blunter about Roma's own performances. He said: "Roma made mistakes in the Champions League that Como did not make. Roma could easily have had six points. They deserved to draw with Manchester and Real Madrid." He praised Como's coach, saying he holds the same regard for him as for Gasperini, "a genius", and that "it feels like he is the third heir to Guardiola and Luis Enrique." Trevisani argued that the results against those sides must be analysed in context: "Without the best goalkeeper, without Dybala, and with refereeing and individual errors too. The team makes mistakes as it grows, but the focus must be on the clear growth." Piero Torri, speaking to Mana Mana Sport, said: "Roma's squad is short and will stay that way for another couple of months, because the market reopens only in January. Serie A and the Champions League demand a lot, and that inevitably has a cost. If we add the injury problem, the weight on the team becomes even more evident." Pes, speaking to TeleRadioStereo, was impressed by Como's nine Champions League goals and said their European style suits the competition. He noted that Como have yet to face top-level opposition, with PSG and Barcelona still to come.

Fabio Capello has blamed mental and physical fragility for Roma's collapse in Manchester, where the Giallorossi dominated Manchester United in the first half only to fade completely after the break. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Roma manager said the defeat at Old Trafford exposed the club's limits in terms of stamina and mental strength, while also stressing the good work the side has shown against Europe's biggest clubs. Capello described a first half in which Roma were in control in every department: aggression, ball recovery, danger and vision. "In the first half Roma were masters of the game, dominant in everything: aggression, ball recovery, danger and vision. It seemed like an easy match, United had never been dangerous (…)" he said. He then asked whether Roma had believed the game was too easy and gone out too relaxed. "In the second half they did nothing, they didn't play, and never had a shot on goal. It looked like the shirts had been swapped, it's true." Capello said United improved considerably after their substitutions, but above all found an aggression that is typical of Roma. "Roma aren't used to facing teams this aggressive, you don't find opponents like that in Italy. And on Tuesday Roma showed mental cracks, in attention and vigour." He also questioned whether Gasperini's players had spent too much in the first half, adding that the intensity of English football made the difference. Asked whether Gasperini's style is simply too demanding, Capello was clear. "Absolutely, it is a very demanding style of football, but also very beautiful. Roma show exciting things, and that is an advantage for Italian football. But when you compare yourself with players who have certain characteristics, it has been seen that resisting for a long time is difficult. Concentration is extremely important (…)." He recalled a similar collapse against Real Madrid, but said that against Madrid the danger was clear: "if you give the Spaniards 15-20 minutes they punish you immediately." In Manchester, he felt, the impression was of general tiredness. "It was not the outstandingly good United, and perhaps that was also the moral key to the match." On the squad, Capello said Roma's group is shorter than last year, but that Gasperini is well placed in Italy with this group. "In Europe you would probably need a higher level." He also pointed to injuries, saying the numbers speak clearly. "Five substitutions help with player recovery, but the fact is that now you play so much and at such close intervals that it becomes difficult to maintain consistency of performance (…)." Capello acknowledged the regret. "There is disappointment, Roma came close to two wins they would have deserved to put in the trophy cabinet. And instead you end up with zero points (…). But these defeats are part of a process. (…) What Roma showed against Real and United cannot be erased. And they did not do it against a team of Scirocco, but against European powers."