Roma Coach Rudi Garcia believes Juventus are still the favourites for the Scudetto and labels reported target Adrien Rabiot as ‘an excellent player’.
Roma Coach Rudi Garcia believes Juventus are still the favourites for the Scudetto and labels reported target Adrien Rabiot as ‘an excellent player’.
The Frenchman spoke to Canal + this week and discussed a number of topics, including expectation that his Giallorossi can push for the Scudetto.
“Sometimes I am presented in France as too ambitious,” Garcia began in his interview.
“The ambition is to do the best we can. Juve have won the last three Scudetti and have not sold any players and have brought people like Morata and Evra.
“So I think that Juve is the favourite. We will do everything we can and this summer I asked to redouble the team’s efforts to get as close as possible.
“The Italian League is a little special, there is not only Juve and Roma. Napoli are a very strong team, and very rich, and then there are the two teams from Milan, Inter and Milan, who have strengthened.
“I believe it will be a great championship, hard fought.”
Garcia was asked if he is happy with life in Italy so far.
“I am fine in Italy. I get along well with the directors and we have an extraordinary fanbase, who go a little from one extreme to the other, but we have taken steps and can understand each other.
“I have a great relationship with everyone.”
The summer window saw the Giallorossi bring in Juan Iturbe, Ashley Cole, Kostas Manolas, Seydou Keita, Davide Astori, Salih Ucan and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa among others and this squad depth will result in competition for places.
“No one can be guaranteed a certain playing time, it would be illogical. There are all the players confirmed from last season, plus Keita who is fantastic.
“But neither Seydou nor any of the younger players can be guaranteed to play every time. Everyone will have to earn it in training and during matches.”
Garcia went on to reserve praise for PSG youngster Adrien Rabiot, whom the club are continually being linked with.
“Adrien is an excellent player and we follow all excellent players. He is a Paris Saint-Germain player and the market closed on September 1, I have nothing else to say.
“A January move, though? No, that is just conjecture. Moreover, I believe that his exclusion from the Champions League squad [rumoured to be to allow for the move to Roma] is because PSG could only pick 21 players, and they had to make this decision.
“Anyway, this is a question you must ask the directors of PSG.
“But does he interest Roma? We are looking at all the players that interest us, and Adrien is one of those, no more or less than others.”