Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi has confirmed that the likes of Matteo Darmian and Andrea Ranocchia will miss out on tomorrow’s Serie A clash with Roma.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of the match, as reported by FCInterNews, the coach also updated that there is some chance that Stefan de Vrij and Aleksandar Kolarov will be back in time for the match.
Inter come into tommorow’s match at the Stadio Olimpico with something of an injury crisis in defensive positions, with Ranocchia having picked up a thigh problem after de Vrij was already out with an injury since the international break.
Darmian is also definitely set to miss the clash through a thigh injury, while Alessandro Bastoni was out of Wednesday’s win over Spezia thanks to a stomach illness.
Inzaghi will put his faith in the players who he has available to him, however, and there is still some chance of a return to full fitness for de Vrij and Kolarov in time for the match.
The coach predicted”An important match, the most important of this cycle of fixture. We are playing against a strong team with real quality. We will have to play a careful game, befitting Inter.”
On Lautaro Martinez, he stated that “He has to continue like this, he’s very young. He can improve a lot, I’m very satisfied with him and the other forwards in the squad.”
“They are doing very well and help the team even when out of possession,” he added. “He has scored in three games in a row and we hope he will continue like this.”
Of facing former Nerazzurri boss Jose Mourinho on the Roma bench, Inzaghi stated that “It will be a pleasure to meet the treble coach. I have not faced him before.”
“It will be a special match for him,” he went on of the Portuguese, “we will have to give him even more attention because we know his abilities and what he has done in his career.”
On the injuries in defense, Inzaghi stated that “There will be no Ranocchia or Darmian, there is not much of a chance for De Vrij and Kolarov, I think we will count on them for Madrid or Cagliari.”
“I will have to evaluate the others,” he went on. “Bastoni was no longer sick yesterday but he has not yet gotten back onto the pitch.”
“He seems to be better,” he said of the 22-year-old. “There are a few knocks in the squad after facing Spezia and today I’ll have to evaluate.”
On the possibility of being top of the table at Christmas, the coach stated that “We know that it matters to a certain extent, even when there was a bigger gap I was calm because I saw the team playing well and everyone trained as we ask them to.”
“Now the deficit has been reduced,” he went on, “in the last ten matches we have had eight wins and two draws.”
“We are getting closer,” he continued, “but everyone is still in it. We think match by match, tomorrow is the sixteenth of the season and there are still many to go. For us, as mentioned, tomorrow is the most important match until Christmas.”
“We are all coaches dealing with a lot of fixtures,” he added, “playing every two or three days is not easy.”
Inzaghi gave the view that “We should look more carefully at the calendar, maybe start earlier or put more of the national team matches into a single period.”
“Us coaches have to adapt and we are doing it,” he reflected. “Against Spezia I only had two regular defenders, but we responded as best we could.”
On who will play in the centre of the back three, the coach explained that “I have a couple who I can choose from, solutions that I had not thought about until some time ago because I had De Vrij and Ranocchia available.”
“Then they were both out,” he continued, “Bastoni did very well as did Skriniar against Spezia. Tomorrow we will evaluate the conditions of Bastoni and we will choose.”
Inzaghi then stated that “We have recovered because we have delivered consistent results, the performances have always been there.”
“We have lost points due to key moments in games, missed penalties or penalties awarded against us right at the end.”
“These are the kinds of episodes that exist in football, and you have to be able to turn them in your favour,” he reflected.
“We got to know better and better what we can ask from all of the guys,” the coach continued. “Right from the start the team had a very good style of player.”
“We didn’t have quite the right balance in some situations,” he went on, “then we discussed and analyzed it with the guys and the staff.”
“We are in a good moment of form,” the coach emphasized, “we create a lot, we are the best attack in the league and we are solid defensively.”
“We’re not looking backwards, what matters most is Roma,” he made clear. “We will come up against a quality opponent who are looking for revenge after their recent defeat.”
On striker Edin Dzeko’s return to the Stadio Olimpico after six seasons in a Giallorossi shirt, Inzaghi stated that “It will be a special game for Edin, we honestly haven’t talked about it.”
“I watched him training in the last day and a half,” he went on, “more intensely than those who played against Spezia.”
“He did well as a substitute there,” the coach went on, “it will be special for him as well as for all of us because we want to play a great match.”
“As far as Barella is concerned,” the coach went on, “he had an excellent training session along with the rest of those who had not played.”
“He is very important for us but I thought I’d give him a break because there are other great players,” he clarified of the midfielder’s absence against Spezia. “I had never done without him, this rest will do him good.”
On the possibility of a midfielder dropping into the defensive line due to an injury crisis the coach clarified that “It would only be in the event that we are forced to.”
“If something were to on the pitch I could change the system by going to four at the back because I have many midfielders in the squad, all functional to the project but only as midfielders,” he explained.
He explained that “Not having the defenders on the bench maybe I would have moved to four at the back, or I also have [Primavera defender Fabio] Cortinovis.”
