Roma Coach Rudi Garcia believes Serie A is more tactical than Ligue 1, and discusses their title challenge.
The former Lille Coach gave an exclusive interview to Bleacher Report, and discussed his time in charge of the Giallorossi.
“Serie A is a more tactical League,” Garcia analysed.
“For example, teams often play with a five-man defense here. Forty per cent of our matches last season were against teams who lined up with that formation.
Roma Coach Rudi Garcia believes Serie A is more tactical than Ligue 1, and discusses their title challenge.
The former Lille Coach gave an exclusive interview to Bleacher Report, and discussed his time in charge of the Giallorossi.
“Serie A is a more tactical League,” Garcia analysed.
“For example, teams often play with a five-man defense here. Forty per cent of our matches last season were against teams who lined up with that formation.
“In contrast, about two per cent of teams use that system in the Champions League.
“I brought my playing philosophy here and in that respect the two clubs [Roma and Lille] are quite similar.
“I worked on two main principals – involving my players in the project of developing a playing style and working on the psychological side of things, particularly trust.
“I want my team to impose its style of play. It’s always important to have possession in order to attack and score goals, without upsetting the balance on the field.
“Mental strength is the cornerstone of my Roma side. We fight every second for every inch here.”
Garcia also spoke about his side’s title challenge, insisting they will challenge Juventus more closely than last season.
“The thing that’s changed the most is that we now have more experience of challenging at the top of the table.
“When we analyse last season, we mustn’t forget that we achieved a record number of points for Roma [85], whilst Juventus got the highest points tally in Serie A history [102].
“We need to have a more ambitious vision and be fighting to qualify for the Champions League and to win trophies.
“The Europa League? All trophies are important. We’ll be putting 100 per cent into the competition.
“European football is not a source of pressure but of pleasure. The only thing is that it does eat into the physical and mental energy we need for the League.
“In regard to our injuries, we’ve done well to create a deep squad full of quality players, so consequently we’ve not felt the absences too much.”