Inter manager Luciano Spalletti spoke to Sky Sport to share his thoughts and feelings on his side’s performances after their 2-1 loss to Cagliari.
“In the first half, I did not like almost everything. We were late in making decisions, we handled the ball poorly, there was no quality and no intentions where the ball ended up. Few duels and few balls recovered.”
Spalletti was then asked why he thinks Inter have conceded five goals in their past two matches.
“Due to the excellence of our opponents, who have made great goals, although easy ones. All of them struck in a way that let our opponents beat the defenders to the ball. We have the same potential in the offensive phase, but we just don’t know how to do the same things as our opponents do.”
When Inter is down a goal, it seems like it is impossible to come back, something noticeable?
“Yes, but it is not all about the result. It is more about what kind of reaction you can see on the pitch, in the episodes that make you determine the result. The reaction of their first goal you could see and in the second half we did very well for most of the half, but if you do not score, these data remain in front of you and this is what has to be analysed.”
He then explained why Andrea Ranocchia came on as a striker.
“I could go back to say the same things again, if it is one place where you can see the the best of Inter it is on the pitch. Then I will analyse the situation, what creates all of that difficulties. At the end, with the result that we had, it made no sense putting another fast player on the pitch. We wanted a player that we could put in their area. This is something that has always been done and could have helped us in certain situations, should they have arose. Of course we are talking about details now.”
He continued: “All in all, we are the same team as when we started this season. Then in a long season you have games when you perform at the highest level and game when you don’t. It seems like we are having trouble maintaining consistency with our kind of play. But this is something that we have to be used to now, there are ups and downs in a season.”
He concluded the interview by speaking on the respective situations of Mauro Icardi and Keita Balde.
“You always go to the most convenient solution in order to speak about what you want, but already last week I said that I expected Icardi to be back soon.
“Both him and Keita could use their respective weapons in order to do good things for Inter. This is a discussion that has its base only from the pitch. Then I’ll have to ask you: why do you ask differently about him and Keita?
“Both are injured, both have five days of recuperation left, the way that you ask the question would imply that there is something anomalous in his behaviour, otherwise they would both be on the same level.
“If my response isn’t convincing enough, treat their respective situations like this, instead of my non-convincing management: their situations are treated differently, it does not depend on us.”