“Squad rotation and internationals impact preparation, but overall still a good pre-season”
MIAMI – On the eve of the match against Real Madrid, Walter Mazzarri spoke to Inter Channel about his side’s last outing on their pre-season tour of the US, tomorrow in St. Louis. A meeting of two hugely successful clubs:
“It would have been great had this match, given what it represents, been played in different circumstances. I might have to change a few players to give them a rest after the Juventus game, as well as keeping an eye on those who will go on international duty and leave the club. All these factors mean we can’t enjoy ideal preparation for tomorrow’s match, but it’s still part of a great pre-season and a terrific experience here in the US. Obviously it’d be sad not to play a game up to our usual standards.”
Inter v Real Madrid sees an encounter between two of Italy’s top coaches, Walter Mazzarri and Carlo Ancelotti:
“He’s won a lot, I’ve still got a lot to do. I’m getting big jobs like the one I’m currently occupying, but our situations are a little different.”
On Real Madrid’s playing style and the prospect of them making several changes Mazzarri went on to explain:
“Let’s hope so! They have so many great players that there’s no point talking about individuals. I want to see the players I choose to start the match, how they play and if we can compete, even now, with a team like Real Madrid.”
Finally the coach reflected on the US tour that Inter have been on since 29 July:
“I think we’ve done very well up till now. What I wanted was to see everyone in the squad willing to work hard and I’ve seen that. I’m happy with everything we’ve done, now we need to deal with the time difference and be ready for the Coppa Italia where we’ll need greater fitness levels. Will I prepare for it without the internationals? Yes, these are problems we have but we need to get through and then be ready for the week leading up to our league games.”
Source: Inter.it