Walter Mazzarri insisted Inter “have reason to be optimistic” after a 2-2 draw against Verona.
“We had a great first half, though we were punished at the first mistake on the counter. It could’ve been a heavy blow, but we reacted, turned the game around and were unlucky not to go 3-1 up,” he told Sky Sport Italia.
Walter Mazzarri insisted Inter “have reason to be optimistic” after a 2-2 draw against Verona.
“We had a great first half, though we were punished at the first mistake on the counter. It could’ve been a heavy blow, but we reacted, turned the game around and were unlucky not to go 3-1 up,” he told Sky Sport Italia.
“I thought we dominated the game for about 70-80 minutes, though of course it was normal to struggle when going down to 10 men. The fitness levels also fell away as we are in an injury emergency situation.
“We also still have a few too many naive moments and this year we pay for all of them, unfortunately.
“Verona were defending with four in the box, then their wingers would chase our wingers, so it’s hard to break down such a defensive side.
“We still managed to go round them and put dozens of crosses into the box. You need patience in those situations and I thought Inter played a great first half.”
Inter President Erick Thohir was in the stands and seemed thoroughly unimpressed. Did he talk to the Coach after the game?
“What we say remains between us. It’s normal that when a game runs away from you like this and the incidents go against you like that red card, it all becomes more difficult. We have so many injured players and this break will hopefully help us achieve acceptable fitness levels again.
“We are back in Europe this season, which means playing every three days, and have undertaken a project of helping young players to grow.
“Of course when fans are accustomed to being at the top, it can pile pressure on. It’s one thing to grow young players when you aim for normal targets and another when you go for bigger things. We have Icardi and Dodo playing regularly, while Bonazzoli started in Europe on Thursday.
“It’s not that bad. The team had a couple of bad performances, but they are united and play good football, so I have reason to be optimistic.”
Mauro Icardi bagged a brace, but also caused controversy, as he made a gesture to silence the jeering fans and before the final whistle had a fiery exchange of opinions with Mazzarri on the bench.
“Mauro thought I was telling him off for the goal, but I had told him to stay on for another 30 seconds before the substitution, so it was a misunderstanding. I have a great rapport with Icardi, perhaps one of the best I’ve had with a player at club level.
“We were all tense at that moment, as we conceded an avoidable goal and could’ve had three points.
“On the equaliser we allowed Verona to go round us. We are accustomed to attacking and not sitting back, while we were also exhausted and let Verona move the ball around in the box.”