Roma coach Claudio Ranieri showered praise on captain Francesco Totti following his hat-trick against Bari.

The superb performance in Roma's 3-1 triumph came on the day Totti completed his comeback from a knee injury which had kept him sidelined for seven weeks.

"We know how crucial Totti is for this team," Ranieri said. "He only returned to play today and he already showed why we missed him so much.

"He is a striker that has so much talent and only he can think about scoring certain goals."

Ranieri was also impressed by the performance of goalkeeper Julio Sergio.

The Brazilian made crucial saves, including two from close-range strikes by Bari forward Barreto, to make sure the Giallorossi claimed maximum points.

"Julio Sergio allowed us to take home this result," said Ranieri. "There is a reason why he started today.

"Whenever I have called him up he has done great things. He is in great form and it's right to give him continuity."

The win left Roma in 11th position in the standings, six points behind fourth-placed Sampdoria, who hold the last Champions League qualifying spot.

"We are on the right path but we need to continue to work hard in order to climb up to an important position in the standings," said Ranieri.

"Our wish is to return to the high positions of the table and to compete for a Champions League qualifying spot."

Roma travel to Bergamo next weekend to meet Atalanta before hosting Lazio in the Eternal City derby.