The coach after the defeat against Cagliari: “We needed to do more on a technical level, then the sending-off changed the game.”

A second consecutive defeat and a sudden and obvious decline. Roma lost to Cagliari and now risk slipping out of the Champions League zone after having another opportunity to regain the top spot in the table. It was a nervous game with no highlights. Gasperini appeared concerned after the match: “We needed to do more on a technical level, even though Cagliari, like other teams fighting for survival, are giving their all. We made some big mistakes, both in defense, as with the goal, and with the red card. Were we lower than usual? Cagliari were playing with long balls, so it was natural.”

The red card—  Celik’s red card obviously weighed heavily on the match. “We weren’t able to get it right technically. We were doing well at the start of the second half, but then the sending off happened,” admitted Gasperini. “With ten men, the game became difficult, even though we managed to avoid danger for a while. It was difficult to build anything in those conditions; it became more of a battle than a soccer game. There are games that take this turn, and we made mistakes. I don’t think we lacked commitment.“ Finally, on the refereeing decisions: ”Today’s analysis is correct, unlike what happened last Sunday against Napoli.”