Inter boss Simone Inzaghi has put faith in his two backup goalkeepers by saying one of them can step in for Samir Handanovic if needed against Udinese, according to a report in the Italian broadcast media.
Speaking during his press conference on Saturday, via FCInternews, Simone Inzaghi explained that whilst there is some hope that Samir Handanovic recovers from injury in time, he knows that they still have Andrei Radu and Alex Cordaz that can take over that role.
“We prepared it in two and a half days, but in a great team this is part of the seasonal routine. Handanovic has a major problem, this morning he did a partial job in training but not in the group. There is some hope for tomorrow. He will try, otherwise we have Radu and Cordaz ready.”
Simone Inzaghi admitted that the mood amongst the squad was not good after the 2-1 defeat to Bologna on Wednesday night but they are now taking one game at a time.
“The mood after the game was not the best, it was a serious disappointment, but these days I have seen a great team spirit. Every game is difficult, on every pitch, so the team will try until the end. There are four games to go plus the final of the Coppa Italia. We will take them one at a time and then we will see. We hope to give the fans more satisfaction after the Super Cup.”
Many have compared the Bologna defeat to the one that put AC Milan back in control of the Serie A title race earlier this season. Simone Inzaghi thinks Inter should never have gone into half time at 1-1.
“Compared to the defeat to AC Milan, we deserved a different result, but that’s football. We had a great first half in Bologna which shouldn’t have finished 1-1. We should have scored more because a mistake by the goalkeeper stood out more, but if it was 3-1 we wouldn’t have been talking about it.
“Mistakes can happen just as it can happen to a striker to miss a goal or a coach to make a mistake in a change or a formation. There has been a lot of talk about this game, we would have liked to play it in January.
“We’ve played it now and lost. But we don’t give up, anything can happen and the team has reacted in the best possible way in recent days.”
Talking about the team selection for the Udinese match, Simone Inzaghi said he has full faith in Andrei Radu should he play.
“We have some formation problems. Gosens and Vidal are back, Bastoni and Calhanoglu won’t be there. If Handanovic doesn’t make it, Radu will play and I have complete confidence in him.
“He’s an excellent goalkeeper, he’s always been available even if he’s played very little and he has an important career ahead of him. I’ll wait until tomorrow to assess everyone’s condition before making other choices.
“When you lose there are always mistakes. We should have been more cynical in the first half, we had great dominance and we should have killed the game.
“Unfortunately we lost a fundamental match that would have taken us into the lead. We have to chase, focusing on our games, on what we can affect, that is the Inter games. Knowing that it’s a championship that every Sunday holds surprises.”
It was pointed out to the coach that Andrei Radu may have been more prepared had he played more games this season than just one before the Bologna match.
“I say what I see. He has always trained in the best possible way. I’m not for alternating goalkeepers because for me there has to be a hierarchy. Here it was clear, Handanovic has always given ample guarantees.
“Radu in the Coppa Italia and in training has always given me great confidence and so I didn’t think it was necessary to let him play a few more games.”
When asked whether AC Milan can still drop points in any of their remaining games, the coach made it clear that he is just focusing on the Udinese match.
“More than thinking about Milan, Napoli or Juventus, I’m thinking about Udinese. There’s been little talk about them, but they’re a healthy team with a points average in April that is lower than Inter.
“We’re up against a team that’s in a great moment and has quality and strength. We have to pay attention to what we have to do.”
Some feel that games against mid-table sides are easier at this stage of the season as they have nothing to play for but Simone Inzaghi thinks that every game can be hard.
“They all have to worry. We saw the game on Wednesday or the one before. They are all difficult, I wouldn’t be thinking about what they are struggling with. You have to get there at your best.”
As for the injury to Alessandro Bastoni that will keep him out of this match, the coach hopes to have him back for the Coppa Italia final.
“We hope to have him back for the Coppa Italia final. He had a little problem in the finishing session before the Bologna game. It’s more than just a strain but the physiotherapists and doctors are on hand to get him back on track.”