Roma Coach Rudi Garcia admits that his side have a long way to go to be considered among Europe’s elite.
The Giallorossi were beaten 7-1 in their own stadium by Bayern Munich on Tuesday, and coupled with defeats for Napoli and Juventus in European competition, discussion is once more on Italian clubs’ competitiveness abroad.
“After the first day of the Champions League and the Europe League, Italian clubs were the best,” Garcia pointed out in his Press conference ahead of Roma’s trip to the Marassi to face Sampdoria.
Roma Coach Rudi Garcia admits that his side have a long way to go to be considered among Europe’s elite.
The Giallorossi were beaten 7-1 in their own stadium by Bayern Munich on Tuesday, and coupled with defeats for Napoli and Juventus in European competition, discussion is once more on Italian clubs’ competitiveness abroad.
“After the first day of the Champions League and the Europe League, Italian clubs were the best,” Garcia pointed out in his Press conference ahead of Roma’s trip to the Marassi to face Sampdoria.
“Now we’re talking about the other extreme. I think that in Italy there are great clubs who have won the Champions League in the past.
“It’s up to the relevant people to bring them back to those levels.
“What I have to do is to make sure to bring Roma to the level of the best teams in Europe. We saw on Tuesday that we still have a long way to go.”
When Roma lost 7-1 to Bayern Munich in 2007, then-Coach Luciano Spaletti faced Sampdoria with the same line-up, and Garcia admitted he could do the same.
“It’s possible. I’ll put out the team which has the best chance of winning the game.
“Obviously the result is important, but I think the result comes as a consequence of what we do on the field.
“We must ask ourselves what we can do to increase our chances of winning.
“We know that tomorrow is a difficult trip, but we have to be able to play well and win against every team.”
Garcia called on his players to bounce back from the humiliation they suffered on Tuesday, comparing the Bayern result to a car crash.
“I think to erase the memory of the defeat, we must immediately play a great game on Saturday.
“Tuesday showed that Bayern were stronger than Roma, but the gap was too big. That’s why I talked about it like an accident.
“It’s like when you drive for years, and nothing happens, then one day you have an accident.
“You have to get back in the car.”