Garcia delighted to secure qualification target

The French coach spoke following the 0-0 draw against BATE Borisov at the Olimpico that secured qualification to the competition’s knock-out stage andrevealed he hopes to see a different mood aroundRoma by the time the tournament resumes.

“Getting into the last-16 is the first target of the season that we've secured,” began Garcia. “I'm pleased, above all, because come February, I hope to recover some of the guys we're currently missing, especially up top and go into the game in different circumstances.”

That's the first time a team has made the Champions League last 16 to a chorus of boos...

“There's a different atmosphere at the stadium without the Curva Sud. We did everything tonight to score and win the match, taking 24 shots on goal. Of course we could have played better. But ultimately we're through and, at this moment in time, with the mood as it is, getting through the group sends out a strong message.”

Did you expect more from your side?

“Yes, we wanted to win tonight. We didn't manage to but we knew another result would be enough for us if Bayer and Barcelona drew and in the end we'll take it with open arms. We really needed this draw. We'll treasure qualification, it was our aim. Hats off to the lads, making it through was no formality and to do so at a time like this is massive.”

Do you not think your team is struggling in terms of their play?

“We definitely could have played better tonight but, as I've said, a team that takes 24 shots on goal is not one that's playing badly or not creating much. On top of that, there's no point going back over those on the treatment table. We were also short tonight in terms of attacking options on the bench, as we had no one other than Mohamed Salah. Edin Dzeko finished the match with cramp and we didn't have a like-for-like replacement for him. We tried to score right until the end and stayed balanced, given that Leverkusen weren't winning and ultimately a draw would have sent us through.”

What did you like about your side's performance tonight and what didn't you?

“We could have played between the lines a bit more but we didn't do so and we need to give the ball carrier more options. I did, however, enjoy the first 20 minutes of the second half where we pushed forward but weren't able to score. When you don't score, you're never safe from something bad happening and thankfully that wasn't the case. At least we were fortunate with Barcelona's draw and Szczesny's excellent save which kept us level.”

What is this bad run of form down to?

“It comes down to the fact that this isn't the same side that began the season, in that we have fewer options up front. The same guys are playing every game at the moment. We're going through a tough spell in the league, we dropped two points against Bologna and two at Torino that we could have taken. It'd be a whole different story had we got those. Now we have three more matches left this year. We have to recover quickly ahead of Napoli given that we put a lot in tonight.”