Capello brands United squad 'average' after Roma squander two-goal lead at Old Trafford

Fabio Capello has launched a stinging assessment of Manchester United’s squad, insisting Roma’s Champions League defeat at Old Trafford is more painful than their late collapse against Real Madrid — precisely because United are made up of “average” players who should never have been able to stage a comeback.

Matheus Cunha scored twice in the closing stages to complete United’s turnaround after Roma had led 2-0, handing Michael Carrick’s side a victory that left the Italian club searching for answers. Capello, speaking as a pundit on Sky’s Champions League coverage in Italy, was unsparing in his verdict.

“This Manchester United team does not have exceptional players who can turn a game around from one minute to the next,” Capello said. “They have average players. That’s why it hurts more than against Real Madrid.”

Roma had previously surrendered a 3-1 lead at home to Madrid in the 83rd minute, with José Mourinho’s side scoring three times before added time to claim the win on their head coach’s return to the Stadio Olimpico. Yet Capello and former Roma captain Alessandro Florenzi both believe the Old Trafford result carries greater regret.

“This one hurts a lot more than Real Madrid,” Florenzi said. “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.”

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini pushed back on the comparison, arguing the two defeats were fundamentally different in nature. “Against Real Madrid, it all happened in a matter of minutes from corner kicks. There were no clear signs, unlike what I saw tonight,” he said. “After the penalty, we were unable to keep up with them.”

Gasperini pointed to a lack of energy in the second half as the decisive factor, rather than any structural similarity with the Madrid game. “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.”

The Roma manager acknowledged a possible psychological dimension to the back-to-back collapses, suggesting his squad may need to recalibrate its mentality. “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,” he said. “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.”