Rudi Garcia said Roma “gifted” the entire first half to Palermo and “we have to change this attitude.”

The second consecutive draw means tomorrow Juventus can go five points clear at the top if they beat Verona in Turin.

“Above all we didn’t play in the first half,” Garcia told Sky Sport Italia after a 1-1 draw in Sicily.

Rudi Garcia said Roma “gifted” the entire first half to Palermo and “we have to change this attitude.”

The second consecutive draw means tomorrow Juventus can go five points clear at the top if they beat Verona in Turin.

“Above all we didn’t play in the first half,” Garcia told Sky Sport Italia after a 1-1 draw in Sicily.

“We were rooted to the spot, there was no movement, which is especially dangerous against a side in good form and we give them a gift after two minutes.

“Fortunately the team rediscovered itself after the break, we changed system, ran more and played in a much more intense fashion.

“In the first half we were too far off our opponents and we have to do better if we want to avoid dropping points like this.

“We need to get into the game straight away. We say it, but we need to do it. The players must understand every moment of the match is important, so we can’t just get into the game when we go a goal down or the other team steps up a gear.

“We have to work on consistency, as our performances lack consistency throughout the game. All XI were poor in the first half.”

Garcia gave 18-year-old striker Daniele Verde his Serie A debut.

“It wasn’t a gamble. Verde has the same qualities as Iturbe – he’s fast, left-footed, can take men on and with more experience he can really help us out. We were without Gervinho and Totti had flu, so the only other option was Borriello, so Verde was introduced to maintain that shape.

“With more players in the heart of midfield we were much more balanced, not just when defending but also in attack. Kevin Strootman dealt with Vazquez a lot better and that created more freedom for the attacking trident. Pjanic loves to wander round and come back only to mark the opposition creative midfielder.

“Our forwards need to give less reference points to defenders. We have to work and we have some very tough games coming up, so we must grit our teeth and above all keep the intensity levels up throughout.

“Don’t forget we were 2-0 down at half-time against Lazio, so the time has come to change this attitude.”

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