Rudi Garcia praised Mattia Destro’s “real hitman” goal against Verona and Roma for showing patience.
Rudi Garcia praised Mattia Destro’s “real hitman” goal against Verona and Roma for showing patience.
The Giallorossi broke through 15 minutes from time with Alessandro Florenzi, then Destro scored with a screamer from 36 metres (40 yards) in the 2-0 victory.
“We did well to stay patient, as we didn’t start well enough and I told them during the break they just had to be more efficient,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“That happened with Florenzi and that fantastic Destro goal. When you keep that much possession, the cage will open eventually and you have to get the shot on target.
“Destro’s was a real hitman’s strike. He chested it down and took aim immediately. It was the move of a pure centre-forward.”
Substitutes are proving very important for Roma so far this season and Garcia assured that is no coincidence.
“Ljajic and the captain worked very hard, ensuring Verona were too tired to keep up the fight, so fresh legs knocked them down.
“It’s important to create this feeling within the group where everyone feels important, even if they play only 20 minutes at a time. In that sense, Florenzi plays very well from the start, but off the bench always brings that extra something.”
Today is Francesco Totti’s 38th birthday and the captain said in an interview Garcia gets 101 per cent out of his men.
“I was disappointed by that, as I need to work harder to ensure I get at least 102 per cent out of my players!
“Will Totti start against both Manchester City and Juventus next week? I will leave the media to speculate on that…”
Garcia was also asked about the performances of Kostas Manolas, who has quickly become a key figure in the Roma back four.
“He is a great player with many qualities, one of them is pace. It really helps us, he’s good with technique and I’ve seen some of his past matches, so am sure he’ll score goals eventually.
“Can he be compared to Benatia? That’s a pointless comparison, as Manolas is a Roma player and the only one I am interested in.”