After the wonderful victory against Chievo Verona, Inter coach Luciano Spalletti spoke to Premium Sport and analysed the match and his tactical decisions that led to the impressive win.

“When there is a match, where the team can divide the tasks and do all things as a team, this is a great result for the coach and the group. Then it becomes easier to affect the final result positively. The road we are on is the right one, the team started well and went on very well.”

The coach was then asked about his thoughts on Napoli coach Sarri and the role of his less used players: “I do not fire shots at anyone, I respect all those who work, especially serious people like Sarri. I believe that if you manage to be near the top at this stage, it means that you do things professionally. The role of a coach is important, I have to feel the responsibility to do the right thing, I pick the formations by choosing, not by failing certain players. You guys in the media like to point out who is not playing. I may make mistakes by leaving certain players out, but the intention is to choose, not to reject anyone. For me, the guys waiting on the bench are stronger than those who play, because they have to be ready at any time to come in and that shows great professionalism. Today we won 3 very important points against a great Chievo team, we stayed compact, attacked on the flanks, but it is not easy to maintain this for the whole match. The players paid great attention.”

The Italian coach then discussed the importance of Davide Santon and whether the upcoming match against Juventus is a title deciding fixture: “We knew Santon’s qualities for a long time. He is a very high quality football player, he knows how to do both phases, attacking and defending. Of course, if you put him in a team that plays well it becomes easier for him to have authority and self-esteem. If things do not go well, it is difficult for anyone. Nagatomo is the same, he does not suffer anything on his flank, he has reactivity and great running ability. I never saw him in trouble last year against Salah. But it is clear that in the attacking half of the field his decision making is not one of his best qualities. Due to his height, Santon is also very useful for set pieces which is another fundamental aspect in the composition of a team.”

In conclusion Spalletti was asked if next week’s Juventus vs Inter fixture is a Scudetto deciding fixture: “I do not agree at all, it will be very complicated for us. We need to be good, we will immediately start training in the way we know and we will have advantages if we stay focused.”