GARCIA: "TIME TO GET OUR HEADS DOWN"
Rudi Garcia believes it is vital that his Roma side put the hard yards in to avoid repeating the mistakes of Sunday’s match against Sassuolo.
Do you feel you have the full support of the club after Sunday’s draw?
“The season doesn’t end after four matches. We've had some positive matches and some less positive ones, but we’re motivated to perform well. Sitting in fourth position with eight points from two wins and two draws, having beaten Juventus and held Barcelona, is no big catastrophe in my eyes. The situation will be clearer after we’ve played Carpi, BATE Borisov and Palermo. We’ll take a leaf out of the cyclists’ book and pedal as far as we can and then take stock.”
Is the gap with Inter more down to their success or Roma’s failings?
“The teams at the top of the table are there on merit. But four matches really isn’t a long time. It’s too early to say that the league is done and dusted. What would the teams below us say? Right now the table is more a psychological thing. That’s why I’m angry we didn’t beat Sassuolo as it would have meant us putting a string of wins together. We need to concentrate on tomorrow’s match and we are focused on Sampdoria. After that we’ll take each game as it comes.”
How were the team after the Sassuolo draw?
“I showed them videos of the Sassuolo game. There were some good things and some bad things which we need to improve on right away. But right now we don’t have time to worry about a match that’s in the past – the only game that counts is the next one. We’ll recoup the points we dropped at home on the road.”
Many teams across Europe rotated their squads this week. Is there a rule to doing it?
“There is no rule. Our problem wasn’t rotation, but playing well enough to win. We could have done that better against Sassuolo, especially in the first half, when we gave them far too much space. That said, let’s focus on Sampdoria now.”
After the Sassuolo match, you spoke about there being a physical imbalance. Were you referring to the team’s preparation or to individual players?
“When I say something like that it’s not before I’ve shared it with my colleagues. I said it because probably some players hadn’t played enough matches to be ready. We reflect together on all aspects of the game so we can enable the guys to be at 100%, but there was nothing revolutionary in what I said.”
Had you ever played four right-footed defenders and two left-footed forwards out of three before?
“That’s an interesting question – I’d not thought about that. It’s not an issue for the strikers, the important thing is that they get the support they need.”
Do you think Castan is improving?
“Leo hasn’t played for a year. His motivation is there but we need to make sure his physical condition matches that. I want him to be in optimum condition to play well. He’s getting better slowly but surely and will have his chances in time – he’s a vital player for us.”
(Photo LaPresse)
