Serbian forward Adem Ljajic was one of the star turns in the second half of Roma’s International Champions Cup match against Manchester City tonight, laying on an impressive display and scoring a sumptuous free-kick to send the contest to a penalty shoot-out.

We at asroma.it caught up with Ljajic down in the Melbourne Cricket Ground locker rooms, where Rudi Garcia’s No. 8 expressed his satisfaction at the team’s performance and gave his view on how the Giallorossi’s preparation is progressing ahead of the new season. Here’s what he had to say:

“Absolutely. We played well in both halves. We were up against a strong opponent today in Manchester City – they have a roster full of top-quality players. They put in a good performance too and I think it was a great match to watch for the fans in the stadium. We scored two goals but made a few mistakes, though I think that’s normal at this stage of our preparation. We’ve been working intensely for two weeks now and obviously there are some tired legs about. The most important thing is that we didn’t pick up any injuries and at the end of the day, even though we didn’t win, we played some good stuff out there.”

“Definitely. Personally, I always prefer playing against big teams during pre-season because those matches are more useful in helping you understand what stage you’re at, both physically and technically. Testing yourself against teams you might end up facing in the Champions League later in the season really shows what your level is.”

“On a personal level I’m doing very well. The group is working hard every single day too. I’ve seen a real desire to put the work in, both from the group that’s been training since the beginning of July and went to Pinzolo and from the players who were away on international duty and joined up a week later. We’re on the right track and we still have plenty of time to prepare and make sure we’re ready for the start of the new season.”

asroma.it