Luciano Spalletti held a press conference at the Inter’s training ground ahead of tomorrow’s Serie A clash between his Inter and Hellas Verona at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi, kick-off scheduled at 20.45 CET. Below his entire press conference is reported in English.
This Inter cannot allow itself to relax…
“There are many teams that are steaming on full speed ahead. Not just the teams ahead of us but also Fiorentina or Sampdoria who are coming back very strongly. We cannot stop.”
Has Marcelo Brozovic returned back from his injury?
“Yes and he has done really well these past few training sessions.”
With these 11 starting players have you found a blance on the pitch?
“We have to find our balance from the start. Now these players have demonstrated that they deserve to play. If there are no problems I don’t see why we have to make changes.”
What is the status with Dalbert and Cancelo?
“They have arrived to a new league, they have other experiences. They are weapons that we can use, we have a good arsenal. But Nagatomo and D’Ambrosio ahve also done really well.”
How does the fixture list influence the Serie A?
“Playing 3 or 4 matches of the highest quality is difficult to absorb without a squad that is up to the task. It is a thing that is organized but I don’t know how to do it differently. The solution is to have 20 starting players. Sarri has been penalised now because he has suffered injuries to his players.”
What do you expect from the January transfer window?
“Now for us it become difficult becuase we have to stay focused ont he players we have. Every choice comes with an elevated price. Now we must see if we are well equipped to achieve our objective. If we see a necessity we will see to it but we don’t need a lot of names to do so. I am very happy with the players I have. Today it is more important to see who could leave. For me, this team can finish in the top.”
How do you rate Ramires?
“It doesn’t suit us to speak about this right now. It is a bit like the talk of winnign the Scudetto. I don’t think it is useful to talk about this. If you are a player that plays in this role you wont be happy because the team is doing more than they are being asked to do, when comparing with how the league table looked last season.”
How many points are needed to get to the Champions League?
“I haven’t made any calculations but the direct encounters are fundamental. There are many of these fixtures because Sampdoria and Atalanta are great teams. As is Torino. Then we have the top 6 teams that will become 7 because there is always a team that surprises every season. Look at Lazio today. They are a prime candidate to finish in the top 4. You have seen the same thing about Roma. Napoli and Juventus are also in that category, the Bianconeri have the best squad, a modern stadium that we all wish we could have had. It will be very difficult.”
What does Inter need to improve?
“We need to not drop points tomorrow. The results follow the wins. The team needs to be equipped like a strong team. Nike gives us the equipment to use in all the matches, not one for the easy matches and one for the difficult ones. If we lose groudn it will be difficult. The fact that we have such a high attendance average shows that our fans aren’t evaluating what type of team we are playign against. They value that Inter are there. And we have showed them in the past that we can be strong mentally. Now we need to push hard without being unrecognisable. I know what needs to be done.”
Are the starting players feeling well physically?
“Yes, Vecino has recovered fully after training apart from one and a half training session. I took him off against Sampdoria because of this, otherwise I would not have brought him off.”
Can Vecino still grow?
“He is complete. He can do everything. I will show you that he also has a great shot, the ability to score goals, he has the ball glued to his feet and can go past his man. He had to adapt to a new situation and he is paid what he is worth. Fiorentina are no spring chickens, he was worth it. Now he is in the team.”
Do you undertake a different approach against the smaller teams?
“I don’t think so. I believ more in the fact that it is only a coincidence that we have made more mistakes against them but we have always done everything we could have done. We want to demonstarte to ourselves every day that we are worthy of Inter. This is something that continues to stimulate us everyday.”
Source: FcInterNews
