New Inter Coach Frank De Boer praises the 'enormous steps forward' shown by Italian football, whilst discussing Mauro Icardi.
The Dutchman turned down the Nerazzurri in the past, and said that he preferred the Premier League to Serie A.
But this has changed in recent times, and he was happy to sign for Inter following the sacking of Roberto Mancini.
New Inter Coach Frank De Boer praises the 'enormous steps forward' shown by Italian football, whilst discussing Mauro Icardi.
The Dutchman turned down the Nerazzurri in the past, and said that he preferred the Premier League to Serie A.
But this has changed in recent times, and he was happy to sign for Inter following the sacking of Roberto Mancini.
“I was contacted a few weeks before I signed, by my agent,” De Boer told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I told them I was available, as the Nerazzurri project seemed immediately interesting. Later we met, and everything worked out very quickly.
“Inter represent tradition and Italy. If you think of Italian football, the three great teams come to mind: Inter, Milan and Juventus. And there have been some supreme Dutch players in Italy: Jonk and Bergkamp on one side, Van Basten, Rijkaard and Gullit on the other.
“The prestige of the Biscione had its influence in my choice. I want to be part of this great history.”
De Boer was then asked what his current opinion of Italian football was.
“I think that over the last two-three years, Italian football took some enormous steps forward in terms of mentality. There is more interest in proposing now.
“Some time ago, for instance, [Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi] Buffon never used to play the ball on the defenders, rather he always cleared it to dispel all possible risks. Now he always relies on the closest teammate.
“In brief, the philosophy has changed. Not just Juventus, but all of Serie A opted for a different direction. Once, it was just the usual Italian football: an exceptional defence and one-two great strikers up ahead to resolve the match for you.
“Teams relied exclusively on those strikers when things got hard. Today everyone is involved, and the progress is evident. It's no coincidence that Juve recently made it to the Champions League final.”
Finally, the 46-year-old was asked about the Biscione's star Mauro Icardi, and about Ever Banega.
“Mauro is only 23 and he scored a lot already. He knows it's not only thanks to him, but to the work of all Inter. Every day he must come here and look to become a better player, on the pitch and off it, taking care even of his food and of anything that could improve his personal performance.
“This is the right mentality. Even [Barcelona's Leo] Messi never stops questioning himself. The day you think you've reached the top, you're finished.
“Icardi's movements are fantastic. Maybe he has to sometimes understand that, on occasion, it's better to protect the ball and play it simple, in the interests of the team.
“In any case, I saw a lot of energy in him, in his training sessions and in the game against Celtic. I was glad to see that he was happy in providing an assist for [Antonio] Candreva.
“Obviously he wants to score, but he can also make a difference in many other ways. I'm really happy with Mauro, he is the captain and he knows how I want him to work. He must play for the team, and he will score many goals.
“Banega? He's a fantastic player. We must put him in the best possible tactical conditions. It's going to be very important, because he makes the difference when he has the ball at his feet.
“He can do everything, he has great intelligence. He'd do well just next to Icardi, even better if he's a little bit further back, and he's good as a playmaker too.
“With Argentina he plays in the midfield, in Sevilla he covered every role, and in the Copa del Rey, against Barcelona, he even marked [Andres] Iniesta.
“He has fantastic quality, and that's what we need. Men like him, Candreva and [Ivan] Perisic are essential, because I have an unconditional love for those who know how to play the ball.”