Garcia not happy with Salah tackle

The Egyptian forward was caught on the ankle with a late tackle during the second-half with Roma 1-nil up but despite the loss of one of the side’s main goal threats, Garcia was delighted to see his team double their lead and keep a clean sheet.

“I’m delighted [with the three points],” Garcia told reporters in the post-match press conference. “The objective was to win and we’ve done so with a great performance. We did very well to keep focused on our tactics as a team. We wanted to press them and if possible get a goal before half-time. Thankfully that’s what happened and we were then able to play on the counter. We showed good sporting competitiveness today – I don’t want to see the nasty side of it.”

What are your ambitions after these wins over Leverkusen and Lazio?

“We know that when you’re in the Champions League it’s never easy to win straight after those games, but this afternoon we gave everything out there. Well done to the guys. It’s a shame the derby had to be played with both Curvas empty.”

How is Mohamed Salah?

“We just hope there’s no break. You’ve seen the images so there’s not much else to say. Tackles like that don’t belong, not even in the derby. We need to protect the players and keep them safe. I hope it’s not too serious for Salah, but it’ll be a miracle if there’s no break or fracture.”

What would you have said if that penalty had been given against you?

“I would have said that it’s a question of millimetres. If it’s the foot that commits the foul – and I don’t think it was – then it’s outside of the area, but if you consider the knee as the body part committing the foul then it’s on the line and a penalty. That said I just want to speak about football and not about decisions. Whether it was a penalty or not changes nothing about our win.”

Iago Falque had a great game, he’s a very strong player tactically...

“That’s right, Iago is like Alessandro Florenzi in that respect. He’s a very intelligent guy and a great player.”

What was it like to play a derby match without either Curva?

“I just want to thank those who came to the stadium and cheered us on. And I want to thank the Curva Sud for coming to support us at the hotel. I hope the situation can be resolved.”