Mancini spoke to the press after the disappointing 2-1 loss to Wolfsburg this evening that saw Inter eliminated from the Europa League. Here are his words: “They had a 3-1 advantage coming in and it made them much more relaxed. They scored a goal and it made it much more difficult. I do not know if they are any better, but they certainly made less mistakes.”
What did you not like?: “We had prepared for the match and hoped to be more effective on the wings, but we had to open up in order to have chances going forward. But that dropped when they got the goal and it became difficult.”
Is there a lack of soul?: “We must not concede goals, the defence is fundamental: probably through my own fault. This is the basis of everything: in Europe you can not give away chances and concede goals in the first 20 minutes.”
Do you fear you are with a team without motivation or ambition?: “This was a game that could improve the seasons outlook, but the team should not be discouraged. Inter are Inter and there are still 11 games to play. Third place is far away but there are reasons to compete.”
Will the game against Samp give you ideas regarding what do you do to the team for next season: “I will have opportunities to evaluate for next season. We are working; however, our objectives are always to take as many points as possible. The disappointment is significant because we believed : In 48 hours we hope to recover and have a good match.”
How are Shaqiri and Kovacic?:“Shaqiri was ready to come in if it became 2-1 but I preferred not to risk him. Kovacic took a knock midway through the first half and had a knee problem and could not continue.”
