MILAN - Roma head coach Rudi Garcia sang high praise of his side's skipper Francesco Totti calling him as one of the best players in the history of soccer.

The 37-year-old scored a brace in Roma's 3-0 win at Inter on Saturday, and Garcia felt lucky to have the veteran as team leader.

"We have a leader in attack who also wears the captain's armband and he showed the way," he said. "Totti is one of the best players in the history of football and to see him so happy is wonderful."

The French tactician also praised his side's maturity and versatility.

"I liked the collective spirit of the team, but we also played with heart when needed and played like men tonight," he said.

"The side has confidence, the players believe in themselves and that is very important. We did things a bit differently on the counter-attacks and it worked well. It's just a pity in the second half we didn't have more of the ball, but 3-0 at the break was already a good position to be in," he said.

He then explained why he changed their usual tactics and took a counter-attack approach.

"We normally have more of the possession, but we knew Inter had strong individuals and left a few spaces open that we could take advantage of. Therefore we decided to hit them on the break and run quickly into those spaces. This is a versatile team and I think it's a strength to have different options," he said.

"The team also showed mental strength in the second half and that was important, seeing a side that never gives up. I liked it and that will be important for the future," he added.