MONTECARLO - Luis Figo gave his thoughts to Sky Italia after watching the UEFA Europa League draw: "It's always prestigious to be involved in European football, whether it's the Champions League or the Europa League. That's why we must do everything we can to try and win this competition this year and then get back to winning in the Champions League. It's a tough group if you consider the logistics of it all. We'll have some very long trips, but personally I don't think we should have too much trouble on a technical level."
Figo was asked what he believed to be the biggest positive to take from last night's match against Vaslui: "Proving that we can hold our own and stick together to get a good result with 10 men. That's what enabled us to be here today. Of course we need to improve in a few areas, but the players showed superb character."
On the approach often taken by Italian sides when faced with European competition, the Portuguese had this to say: "In Italy there's a difference between the league and Europe. I think it's a cultural thing. Teams that do well in a tough league might find it more difficult in Europe. But Serie A is by no means easy."
Finally, on the transfer market, Figo explained that, "We always think we could do with a bit more but we're professionals and we're used to making long journeys. We'll be playing two games a week but Stramaccioni and the coaching staff will know how to cope with it all."
