Rudi Garcia said Roma “proved we are up to the standard” of Manchester City and joked about Ashley Cole’s performance.
Rudi Garcia said Roma “proved we are up to the standard” of Manchester City and joked about Ashley Cole’s performance.
Francesco Totti secured a 1-1 draw at the Etihad that puts the Giallorossi squarely in second place on four points behind Bayern on six, while Manchester City only have one point.
“We proved that we are up to the standard of this group and I am proud of my players,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“It was as we predicted, that we had our moments and in fact better scoring opportunities, while we suffered in the last 10 minutes because we’ve been forced to play the same men in central midfield and defence for weeks.
“I am satisfied to have seen a Roma side play with real character.”
Ashley Cole had struggled so far in Serie A, but Garcia joked about his performance in Manchester.
“His response was remarkable tonight. Maybe the English air made him happy! We must pack some in the suitcases for him!
“Ashley has always done well for us, but tonight he proved himself to be a great champion.
“We are still a long way off qualifying, but a point tonight leaves City three points behind us and then we have the two games with Bayern Munich.
“I think this result gives my players more confidence, though they already had plenty, that we can have our say in this so-called Group of Death.
“We have an identity, but also need great balance and the players are so good at putting what we worked on for 14 months into a match situation.
“We have players with immense talent, but tonight also saw they can give everything, work hard in defence and realise in these games you need to pay attention to the quality of your opponents too, especially a player like Silva.”
“I have a lot of faith in my men. The talk before the game was that we were playing against one of the richest clubs in the world and it is a fantastic experience the lads earned with their work last season. We have team spirit and with that we can achieve great things.
“Now we have to recover, as there is a small game to prepare for on Sunday…”
Garcia was referring to this weekend’s head-to-head at the top of Serie A with joint leaders Juventus.