“It was a decent test out there,” admitted coach Rudi Garcia after the 1-0 friendly victory over German side Augsburg in Castel di Sangro.
“There were good signs on the pitch. You need these games in order to experiment and try different options out.
“It was a competitive match because the Germans treated it as such in terms of their approach. It was physical and we did well to play with intensity and turn in a strong performance that showed our character.
“I have a number of players unavailable at the moment due to injury and also transfer window issues. Some of the players out there today had to adapt to different positions.
“I now have clearer information on the squad and everyone has given a positive answer.
“The preparation is different from last year because there were the first three months and it all then resumed after the World Cup. We now need to move forward without letting up until the end of the season, so the team needs a different type of programme.”
