Former Inter defender Massimo Paganin spoke to Italian broadcaster InterTV following the Nerazzurri’s disappointing 2-2 draw against Parma on Saturday.
“The regrets are in those 5-6 minutes of the first half when they conceded the two goals. Then, the Nerazzurri played their game and had supremacy in all statistics. Inter conceded two goals for individual mistakes, perhaps due to a small psychological drop. We knew that Parma would play on the counter, we regret the two goals conceded. We said that Inter should not play the match thinking about the Juventus match. It has to be said that the team has created, has reacted. Probably in the past there would have been more difficulties. There won’t be so many games like this, where you score so little and create so much. The Nerazzurri had 29 shots on the opponent’s goal.”
Paganin then touched on Inter forward Antonio Candreva.
“He’s good, and he’s proved it tonight. He’s played a great game today as well, over and above the goal. He attacked space at the right time for the assist. In general, he played well in both the offensive and defensive phases. He shot a lot towards the goal, an excellent performance for continuity of performance. He’s fundamental.”
He also discussed Inter’s teenage forward Sebastiano Esposito.
“Tonight, he struggled more because the opposing team was solid. He could have made different choices, but we don’t have to put too much pressure on him. He has to learn how to manage the various phases of the game, game after game.”
He was positive about former Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku.
“He’s growing in confidence and self-esteem. Now he can touch the ball more by moving through the defensive line. He has given a great hand to the team’s game. It was a good game for Inter, beyond the goals they scored. It can be improved, of course.”
Paganin thought that Inter’s dropped points against Parma isn’t a serious issue.
“In previous years there was a risk of losing certain games. Today Inter crushed Parma in the second half. It’s a shame about the two points lost, but there are games over the season that go like this, you can’t always win, even if certain mistakes could have been avoided. The match against Borussia took a lot of energy away and we saw that, especially in the first half.”
The 49-year-old Italian looked ahead to Inter’s next game against Brescia tomorrow.
“Another difficult game, in which there will be pressure because everyone will expect Inter to win. It’s going to be an important match; we’re getting a cycle of games that are more affordable but have to be managed on a mental level. From now until December there will be a lot of spent energy. I think Inter are managing everything in the best possible way.”
Finally, Paganin touched on how Antonio Conte motivates the squad.
“We saw how the team changed between the first and second halves, I think Conte worked very well in the locker room even today. It’s not easy to get the team back when things aren’t going well.”
