Criscitiello criticises Roma fans' reception of Mourinho ahead of Real Madrid clash

Real Madrid came from behind to beat Roma 4–3 despite a poor display, scoring three goals from set-pieces in the closing stages. A performance widely criticised by fans and media for its lack of quality was masked only by the visitors' ruthlessness on dead-ball situations and Roma's defensive lapses. Sporting journalist Riccardo Trevisani was among the harshest critics, attacking Real Madrid's manager on the podcast Cronache di Spogliatoio. He said: "I saw a match devoid of logic. Real Madrid is a disgrace, it cannot be watched! The blame lies with their coach, who has a squad worth a billion four hundred million euros and lines them up like under-10s. Mourinho comes to Roma, hasn't even left and already Svilar breaks, then Koné and Dybala get injured. He has incredible luck, it's objective. That's how Mourinho wins, only that way." The collapse highlighted Roma's vulnerability to set-piece defending and their inability to control a match they initially dominated.

Television commentator Riccardo Trevisani has launched a fresh attack on José Mourinho's tactical approach, claiming the Real Madrid manager relies on luck to win matches. Speaking on the Cronache di Spogliatoio podcast, Trevisani criticised Real Madrid's performance against Roma, which ended in a victory for Mourinho's side despite goals arriving late in the match. "I saw a match devoid of logic. Real Madrid is a disgrace, unwatchable," Trevisani said. "The fault lies with his coach, who can count on a squad worth one billion four hundred million euros and lines them up like a youth team. Mourinho gets close to Roma, doesn't even return and already Svilar breaks, then Koné and Dybala. He has incredible luck, it's objective. That's how Mourinho wins, only that way." Trevisani's criticism extends to Mourinho's perceived underutilisation of Real Madrid's vast resources, arguing the Portuguese coach has failed to extract convincing performances from an expensively assembled squad.

Roman radio stations dissected Roma's 3–2 loss to Real Madrid yesterday, with broadcasters and former players offering mixed assessments of Gasperini's tactical display alongside praise for the team's attacking performance that ultimately collapsed in the final eight minutes. The match saw Roma lead until the 85th minute before conceding three goals in quick succession, a sequence that drew sharp criticism across multiple stations. Piero Torri (Radio Manà Manà Sport) captured the mood: "All stunned at the final whistle: players, fans and even Gasperini. A heavy blow yesterday. Before the 85th minute you lived what could have been and instead was not. In eight minutes you transformed what could have been a victory capable of giving a push for the future into a setback not insignificant, which I hope does not have repercussions on morale. Unacceptable to concede three goals like that. After 3–2 Roma completely collapsed." He added that Matías Soulé delivered his best performance of the season and questioned the timing of his substitution. Gasperini received ratings between 5 and 6.5 from the panel—Franco Melli (Radio Radio Mattino) gave him a 5, noting Roma "must define itself" as too many matches end in collapse, and criticised Lorenzo Pellegrini's introduction as "the most serious mistake." Simone Valdarchi (Radio Manà Manà Sport) highlighted that Roma conceded three goals from set-pieces in nearly identical fashion, calling it unusual and difficult to recall precedent for. Roberto Pruzzo (Radio Radio Mattino) observed the squad maintains too high a tempo early on and cannot sustain it through a full match. Luigi Ferrajolo (Radio Radio Mattino) argued that with Real Madrid's quality, an entertaining style of play should be non-negotiable. However, Alessandro Vocalelli (Radio Radio Mattino) and Nando Orsi (Radio Radio Mattino) defended the display, with Vocalelli crediting defensive errors on set-pieces rather than Gasperini's strategy, and Orsi noting Roma simply lost the ability to maintain possession and conceded from corners—a shortcoming rather than poor tactics. Injury concerns now loom. Manu Koné suffered an injury with return expected after the international break, while Paulo Dybala sustained a muscular strain in his calf area, making his availability for the Genoa match uncertain.