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.
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Roma lost 2-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Champions League, their second defeat of the season after a loss to Real Madrid. Roman radio pundits broadly agree that the squad is too thin. Piero Torri of Manà Manà Sport said the squad will stay short for another couple of months because the market reopens only in January, and that injuries add further strain. Roberto Pruzzo of Radio Radio said Sassuolo are the ideal next opponent, and that Roma must reach the international break without forcing back long-term injured players.
The outlets differ sharply on what went wrong. Alessio Nardo of Tele Radio Stereo argued that on Como's fixture list Roma would have earned one more Champions League point than Como, while Valentina Catoni said Svilar in goal would have won Roma six more points. GialloRossi's Gianluca Piacentini said the side had "dramatic highs" and that the first half was strong before the second half changed everything, a view Fabio Petruzzi shared. Mario Corsi dismissed the idea that Como beat Manchester United because they were at home, describing Old Trafford as "like a big funeral." Corsi also criticised Balerdi's lapse in concentration, while Mario Mattioli blamed the collapse mainly on mental issues and Pisilli's positioning. Torri questioned the substitutions and a penalty that was ordered retaken.
Attention has also turned to the coach and the market. Torri said he was not sure the club wanted to continue with Gian Piero Gasperini, whose contract expires at the end of the year, and that the doubt rested on mutual affinity rather than results. Checco Oddo Casano discussed Kvernadze, reportedly with a 4 million euro clause valid in the summer, saying a deal could be reached in January or terms agreed to sign him in June.
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