Walter Mazzarri met with the press ahead of tomorrows match against Fiorentina at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in San Siro and it was a focused and concentrated coach who answered questions from the press. We at SempreInter.com give you the pressconference in full here below.
In football we sometime say that it’s important to shake off a defeat quickly. Could the same be said about a win?
“I have a principle that you should always take the best aspects from a defeat as well as a win. Above all we have to continue to grow and improve on what he have done so far in these matches.”
Will the match against teams like Fiorentina show what Inter is really made of?
“It’s another step in our growth and our development which I spoke of when I first arrived. Fiorentina have completely different characteristicscompared to both Juventus and Sassuolo, so for us it’s another test where we have to prove that we are good in taking on these challenges. I’m referring specifically to the pint that Fiorentina doesn’t have any specific points of references now that Gomez is absent. They are a team that move around a lot, the retain a lot of ball possession and have a completely different attitude to the teams we have played so far.”
Will Milito play from the start?
“I will not be revealing by starting line-up. Diego knows himself that he still doesnt have 90 minutes in him, last Sunday he played and he played very well but we will bring him back to action gradually. We know of his qualities but we must also make sure that we don’t lose our defencive balance. I will evaluate this during the course of the match.”
Can Inter end up playing with a trequartista and two strikers?
“This is not the right match for this experiment. Besides, when a new coach arrives and tries to implement a new tactical project it is very difficult to go in and make changes when the team is balanced, like our team is right now. I think that the 11 players who are playing right now have given us and continue to give us the assurances we want. And I see no reason to make any changes given that we have only spent a short period of time together.”
At what point can we draw any conclusions on this Inter?
“We can draw a partial conclusion after the first half of the leauge matches have been played, because then we would have played against all teams. After just one match, you can speak of certain events on the pitch, but after 19 matches the some conclusions can be drawn. To speak of goals or objectives right now is really rather pointless.”
How are you planning to re-introduce Kovacic into the team now that you balance?
“In exactly the manner in which I’m doing right now. Modern football is about playing the players who are in best shape, you have a squad of several players. When you play a part of a match then this means that you are important. When we met Genoa he entered when the scoreline was 0-0 and then we won the match. The substitutions are important. He has missed on and a half months of pre-season training due to injury which means that he has lost some of his fitness. These are all normal things, he does what all the other players do, when I play him he has to prove to me that he is worthy of a place on the pitch, but this applied to everyone not just to him.”
Given the tough week ahead, is anyone in need of a rest?
“I am very careful when it comes to these things, usually you learn a bout a players physical condition from the doctors or the player himself. Given how me played against Sassuolo, the fact that we’ve had an extra day of rest and that we’re playing at night then no-one is need of a rest. If someone had asked me I would have thought about it, but with the responses I have gotten there is no need to rest anyone.”
Gomez isn’t playing. Are you scared of Rossi?
“Yes I’ve always rated him and always wanted him. They did the right thing to invest in him when he wasn’t feeling to well physically. He is a decisive man and a true champion.”
When you managed Montella, did you ever think that one day he would too become a coach?
“I guessed that he had a good character because he wasn’t too happy about being on the bench [laughs]. No, he is a good lad, I could have imagined him being a coach. I found out about it later when he looked me up in order to study to become a coach.”
The team has scored a lot of goals but is still yet to score from any set pieces, why do you think this is?
“We’re working very hard on all dead ball situations and sometimes we have been close to scoring. I hope that we can begin so start scoring from set pieces because they are very important and we have to take advantage of these too. It’s only a matter om time, when the team takes in more of what I’m trying to implement then this will come too.”
Did you consider that the match against Cagliari could be moved?
“I haven’t thought about it but the question could be raised. I don’t know if the club has thought about this. We don’t have a lot fo time either as we’re off to Cagliari, there will be some travelling involved. We play the match aganst Roma on Saturday. If they had asked me I would have said yes.”
How much has Wallace developed?
“He is the player who needs to grow the most and he has to see what he has to do. I have played with him against Catania during a point in the match where only an earthquake could have changed that result..With a full squad and if I had more subtitutions, I could have helped him grow more.”
Fiorentina wanted Alvarez, was it you you stopped that transfer?
“I spoke to Ricky, he has to keep his feet on the ground because judgements in this world change quickly. Everyone knows that I appreciated him as a player, when the rumours of a transfer started circulating I said that I first wanted to see him play. I’m happy over the team I have and I wasn’t expecting such a good start.”
Our partners at FcInterNews.it ask Mazzarri if Icardi and Belfodil are in good physical condition, seeing that they aren’t playing so much?
“I’m surprised because football is played with 11 players on the pitch. Who would I substitute? It’s difficult if you think that the team scored twice against Genoa, thrice against Catania and a good match against Juventus. Against Sassuolo we played well as a team who played well in their previus matches. You can tell me who I should have substituted, especially when there was no reason to bring anyone off as the team was playing very well. The lads know this and understand this.”
