In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport Italian broadcaster and Inter supporter, Paolo Bonolis, reflected on Inter’s season so far suggesting that considering the small squad at his disposal, Luciano Spalleti has done extremely well.
He started with tonight’s game against Roma: “tonight there are three points up for grabs that are important for the Champions League places. I doubt that Inter, Roma or Lazio can compete for the top two places in the league. Are Roma a team to be concerned about? Definitely. We saw in the first match this season that they were capable of causing us problems but then they fell away and we managed to win. It will be a big game for us and great to watch.”
He was asked about Inter’s poor form recently without a win in their last 5 games: “we’ve had a bad run lately and we have a limited squad but Mister Luciano of Certaldo is doing a great job considering the squad isn’t full of world class talent. Then when three or four players lose their edge the team suffers. We saw against Udinese that we started well but missed a couple of great chances, against Sassuolo we played 80 minutes in their half and with Lazio the two teams cancelled each other out, against Fiorentina we played with an impromptu defence. This short bench of ours is starting to weigh us down.”
When asked if he liked Luciano Spalleti Bonolis replied: “Very much so. He has a fierce work ethic. Without a bit of anger and fury in sport you win nothing. He has transmitted this to Inter already but it’s only normal that there can be a lull from time to time. I have seen Perisic in the last few games and he is unrecognisable from the player we have been used to seeing and this hurts the team. His physical presence has gone and Inter has suffered from it. Personally I feel sorry for Joao Mario, he is the ghost of himself at the moment. He is so much technical ability but has an inadequate athletic dimension for a midfielder and his desire is insufficient compared to his team mates. I don’t understand Dalbert however. He seems to have problems tactically. French football provides these marvels that fail miserably here in Italy.”
Bonolis failed to mention Inter captain Icardi in his analysis: “He is a player that speaks for himself. When he recieves the ball he knows how to turn it into the most delicious ice cream imaginable. The problem is that he must arrive in a different way. Inter are a team that crossing a lot that’s why Inter are working hard on the capture of Rafinha. Let’ hope he plays at Appiano instead of being treated in the medical room. He is a good player and can give the team another dimension. He is a creative player who can add some variety to Inter’s play which is what Spalletti was lacking.”
He finished on a quote of his where he said “I feel like Mourinho” he was asked to elaborate on this: “A manager must create a beehive like mind, making sure that everyone is thinking the same way. But it is important that the Bees are good. Today our squad is not at the same level as that what Mourinho had. I remember Luigi Simoni affectionately. He was a nice man who created a good team in a calm manner. In that infamous game in Turin against Juventus the beast that was inside came out and I loved it like few others. Mourinho remains the absolute leader for those the same age as me. But it depends on who you have to train. If an excellent chef opens the fridge and finds only chicory, he can only work with the chicory.”