Mats Hummels' Blunder, Ranieri's Bad Premonition

BILBAO, FRIDAY – Claudio Ranieri's decision to field Mats Hummels backfired. His fatal blunder early in the match resulted in a red card, leading AS Roma to a 1-3 defeat against Athletic Bilbao in the Round of 16 of the Europa League at San Mames Stadium, Friday (14/3/2025) early morning Western Indonesia Time. Hummels' blunder reinforced Ranieri's reasoning for frequently keeping Hummels on the bench since the beginning of this year.

One blunder by Hummels shattered the dreams of tens of thousands of Roma supporters. They were highly confident that Roma could maintain their 2-1 advantage from the first leg at their home ground. With this defeat, Roma has been eliminated from the Europa League and failed to replicate the success of the past three seasons, during which they consistently reached the semifinals.

Hummels, who was brought in for free at the beginning of this season, initially became a mainstay for Ranieri in the defensive line. Armed with his experience at the top level of European football, Hummels was expected to be the solution to Roma's defensive vulnerabilities.

However, since the beginning of this year, Ranieri has started sidelining Hummels. He only appeared as a starter in two competitive matches since January 17. Meanwhile, in the other seven matches, Hummels was merely a benchwarmer.

Ranieri's decision to bench Hummels was based on his below-average physical fitness. According to Ranieri, Hummels needed time to rest in order to return to his best performance. However, Hummels, who disagreed, responded by indirectly criticizing Ranieri through a post on his personal social media account.

"The Oscar award for the longest vacation goes to...," wrote Hummels, implying to Ranieri that his exclusion from Roma's main squad had gone on for far too long.

The opportunity for Hummels to showcase his quality was presented in the crucial match against Bilbao. Zeki Celik's injury forced Ranieri to alter the three-defender lineup. Hummels played as the central defender, replacing Celik. Meanwhile, the right-back position, usually occupied by Celik, was filled by Gianluca Mancini.

Playing Hummels is probably a decision that Ranieri will not regret too much. However, Ranieri already had a bad feeling about playing Hummels. The choice to play Hummels was ultimately forced by Ranieri.

Sure enough, when the match had only been going on for 10 minutes, Hummels received a straight red card. The red card penalty was given by the referee after Hummels mispassed the ball so that it could be taken by a Bilbao attacker. Hummels then stopped the opponent's movement with a hard tackle that was considered dangerous.

"It was a clear red card. I think he deserved it," Ranieri said.

Hummels’ decision-making and instincts seem to be fading with age. The 36-year-old defender had the option to pass the ball to Evan N’Dicka who was free on the left side. However, Hummels carelessly passed the ball slowly so that the opponent could take it.

Outnumbered, Roma's defense became an easy target for Bilbao's players. Initially, Roma was very awkward playing with 10 men. The big hole left by Hummels at the back was often too late to close.

Throughout the match, Bilbao managed to release eight shots on target. Amidst Bilbao's continuous attacks, Roma was fortunate to have goalkeeper Mile Svilar who made five brilliant saves. However, that was not enough to prevent Roma from losing.

I apologize. I want to apologize to the fans and my teammates.

Bilbao's three goals were contributed by Nico Williams at the end of the first half and the 82nd minute. Another goal from Bilbao was created by Yuri Berchiche in the 68th minute. Roma's only goal in reply was created at the end of the match thanks to Leandro Paredes' penalty execution.

Hummels felt guilty after receiving a red card. Due to his carelessness, Roma had to bury their dream of winning the Europa League. He expressed his regret after the match.

"I'm sorry. I want to apologise to the fans and my teammates. I let everyone down today with a really stupid and terrible mistake," Hummels said.

"Matches like this are usually ones where my team can count on me. But now I messed it up and cost the whole club their dream of winning the Europa League," Hummels continued.

Celik's injury left Ranieri with few options to patch up the back line. He was forced to gamble by playing Hummels and lost. This situation is ironic for Ranieri who is known to have a kind of sixth sense in deciding to play players. In the first meeting in Rome, Ranieri's choice to play Eldor Shomurodov and Alexis Saelemaekers brought Roma one foot in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, for Bilbao, the victory over Roma further opens up their chances of reaching the final, which means playing at home. The Europa League final this season will be held at San Mames. But first, before reaching the final, Bilbao must first beat Rangers in the quarter-finals. (REUTERS)