Rudi Garcia praised Empoli’s” data-scaytid=”1″>Empoli’s performance and was glad to have “three points in the bag” for Roma.

Radja Nainggolan’s shot took a ricochet off the upright to bounce in off the goalkeeper’s back, which proved enough to decide a 1-0 result in Tuscany.

Rudi Garcia praised Empoli’s performance and was glad to have “three points in the bag” for Roma.

Radja Nainggolan’s shot took a ricochet off the upright to bounce in off the goalkeeper’s back, which proved enough to decide a 1-0 result in Tuscany.

“First of all I have to say Empoli played well, had nothing to lose and it’s fortunate we studied them carefully because they are dangerous on set plays,” Garcia told Sky Sport Italia.

“In order to make life difficult for them we knew that we had to go down the flanks and shoot from distance.

“The three points are in the bag, which is the essential thing tonight. I am not worried, it’s just that we lost possession too many times and didn’t make the most of space behind the defenders. We need to clarify our ideas on that.

“I won’t forget that if we had scored that second goal with Maicon, it would’ve been a much simpler game.

“We know Castan has quality and Astori settled in well to this defence. We took precautions on Leo, as he had pain in his muscle and so we thought it best to rest him for the second half.

“Manolas has settled in brilliantly. He has pace and already got the hang of how to play in our defence. Finally we did not concede a goal in an arena where I am sure other teams will suffer in future.”

“It’s true the pitch was dry and the ball didn’t move quickly, but I don’t like using that as an alibi.”

Roma make their return to the Champions League next week against CSKA Moscow at the Stadio Olimpico.

“It’s a fantastic competition and I was fortunate enough to play in it twice with Lille. The players did well today, proving they had their minds focused on Empoli, as that was necessary to win here.

“Now we’ve got three days to recover and absolutely must win against CSKA, as it’s crucial to start strong on home turf.”

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