frank de boer

Yesterday you gave the players a day off, was that because of fatigue? “No, it’s not a problem for us. Yesterday we gave the players a day off because it was the first day off in three weeks. It’s important not only for physiological reasons but also on a mental level. It’s important that the players can spend some time with their families.”

This week Gabigol was presented, how will you play him in this team? “We will try to integrate him gradually, he needs to fully comprehend our philosophy of playing. We are talking about a player with many qualities that will make his debut soon. But we must be patient.”

Is the team starting to understand your ideas? “The short time that has passed isn’t enough in order to reach the highest level, it’ll still take some time. But I think the players understand more now how we should play if you compare with how it was in the beginning. It’s normal that it takes some time. There was an objective, but in order to reach that and in order to arrive at the level we want we need time and hard work.”

How much, on a realistic level, can you expect from your midfielders? “Of course, that’s a very important aspect. Sometimes we change the way we play on a tactical level, we’re talking about small details in order to help our attackers. Everybody is important. We have talked a lot about pre-emptive marking, not only for the defenders but also for the other parts of the team. We always try to attack for most of the part and we must be a team that have control over the ball. This is my philosophy.”

How can yoou get Kondogbia and Eder to perform at their expected level? “We have a group with high quality, there are many players. It’s not easy for me to take the decision, there are 25 high quality players, but I always speak to them. The decision is my problem and that’s my job. It’s tough to leave players out, but they’re professionals and have to accept the situation.”

According to your philosophy, could Jovetic play as a second striker alongside the central attacker? “Yes, I think that’s possible. He’s showing the right attitude during practice, he’s working hard and it’s obvious that he wants to send the coach a message. When we need a player like him, he will play and that’s a great option to have.”

Could Ansaldi be playing from start? “Yes, but not for 90 minutes, he will play some part of the game tomorrow.”

The form that Icardi is currently in, how much does that affect the team? “It means a lot, he’s a real professional and he has made a huge impact both on me and the team.”

Is there anything you found here at Inter that is not ideal for your ideas? “My job is to train and prepare the team for matches. I want to work hard because we have so many games, during practices the team learns a lot, I want every player to adapt according to their specific characteristics.”

Are the outside backs a problem for you, is there still something to adjust? “Everybody needs to improve, but I’m happy with what each of the players are doing right now. Like I said, everybody is working at the highest level that is very important to me.”

After the victories against Juventus and Empoli people are talking different about you. Have you now fully understood what it means to coach in Italy? “When you arrive to a new country and a new club you have to prove yourself. But I’ve been here for such a short period of time, I can’t change everything in that time.”

Will Brozovic be in the squad tomorrow? “No.”

Is inter going for the Scudetto now? “I don’t want to talk about that, our main objective right now is to win against Bologna and to always perform at the highest level. Then we’ll see. I don’t want to talk about the scudetto right now because it’s not important at the moment.”

What is the perfect role for Gabigol? “He has a lot of quality, he’s a player that has a great way of understanding football. During practices we have noticed that, when he dribbles he doesn’t always look at the ball, he’s also looking for other solutions.”

Will the game against Prague next week affect the formation tomorrow? “I don’t want to talk about formations or starting players. Today we have another practice that will focus on tactics. After that I will inform the players about my decisions.”