vecchi

After Thursday’s defeat against Southampton it’s back to the championship for Inter. Tomorrow at 18.00 CET Inter will host Crotone at Giuseppe Meazza. This is what Inter interim coach Stefano Vecchi had to say on his press conference earlier.

What formation can we expect tomorrow? “Surely some guys will be different compared to Thursday’s game, first of all since Medel is suspended. Then we have to evaluate the conditions of players who got minor injuries against Southampton. We must keep on with the continuity we have had the last couple of days, or we can change.”

Crotone? “Crotone is a good team that has managed to bring home good results during their first season in Serie A. They come from a series of games well played, they lost at home against Napoli, lost against Sassuolo in the final minutes, drew with Fiorentina and won against Chievo. We have to enter the pitch without looking at the standings, which doesn’t show how good Crotone is at the moment. We on the other hand find ourselves in a difficult time.”

How does the “casting” for a new coach affect the players? Is there any risk that you will pass on the wrong message? “I haven’t heard anyone talk about these things. We read the papers and are aware of what is happening right now, but during practice I haven’t seen any signs of that, and I don’t think I will either, especially not tomorrow during the game. The players are professionals.”

Are you disappointed about Thursday’s game? “I don’t think I could have done something different, and I am very self critical. I think that the choices I made was the right ones, like for example preparing for the game. But it’s obvious that I wanted a different result. The team performed really well for 60 minutes, then some mistakes were made. It’s a shame.”

How are Kondogbia and Melo? “We will evaluate this today, Geoffrey was eager, determined and played with great spirit against Southampton. Melo has had a period when he has been left out of the team but I think he will be very useful for us, for example in the play without ball.”

Is Inter physically prepared? “During 90 minutes in an intense football game, I would say yes. Thursday we failed in getting the other team to run during difficult parts of the game. I hope we’ll improve this tomorrow.”

Are you excited for making your debut as a Serie A coach? Is 4-3-3 the ideal formation? “Talking about the model, I think it’s always a matter of interpretation. As for the excitement I would say there is, but this is what brings enthusiasm. We want to perform well since we probably not will play together after tomorrow. Generally I’m glad that the group has embraced some of my ideas, especially from a moral point of view.”

What kind of environment do you expect at San Siro? “One of the slogans of the Inter fans is: “We have Inter in our hearts” and if that’s true they have to help us. I think the fans will help us, then of course it’s up to us to make them happy. Regardless, conflicts don’t do Inter any good.”

How can you interpret 4-3-3 in another way? “I like a dynamic 4-3-3 where we have players that know how to play between the lines and that can overlap, this can be a solution for tomorrow’s game.”