Roberto Mancini insists Inter have been playing well recently and dropped points only through bad luck and poor finishing.
They visit Hellas Verona this weekend, it kicks off on Sunday at 11.30 GMT, click here for a match preview.
Roberto Mancini insists Inter have been playing well recently and dropped points only through bad luck and poor finishing.
They visit Hellas Verona this weekend, it kicks off on Sunday at 11.30 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“It was a very good game against Chievo, which frankly until the missed penalty we had also done against Milan. The team worked hard, created and we still have this little problem of suffering in the final minutes because we don’t finish sides off,” said the Coach in his Press conference.
“Verona have improved a lot and changed the squad in recent weeks, so we can’t be focusing on preserving players for Fiorentina.
“Joao Miranda is suspended, but we have Giampaolo Pazzini and Luca Toni to deal with, so Gary Medel is too short to be a centre-back against them.”
Mauro Icardi is the youngest foreign player to have scored 50 Serie A goals, yet was dropped in the derby.
“I am satisfied with his performances. I think Mauro, being so young, has an enormous margin for improvement. Icardi will start tomorrow.
“There are six strikers, so only three at a time – at most four if we are trailing – can play. You always ask why one doesn’t play and the other does. They are all available and can play.
“We are still struggling to score. We had 24 chances against Chievo and scored one. It’s also a period of bad luck and the goalkeepers putting in great performances, but if you have 24 chances then you need to convert at the very least two, otherwise it’s all in the balance.
“At times we need to be more precise, at others more determined. This is football, you can play with three strikers and score one, or with a False 9 and get two. This is the joy and unpredictability of the sport.
“The issue is not a tactical one, it’s about focus and making the most of the chances when you’re on top. We only dropped points in recent weeks because of bad luck conceding in stoppages.”
Mancini sat out a touchline ban for insulting the officials and raising his middle finger to Milan supporters during the Derby, while Paulo Sousa and Sinisa Mihajlovic have also been sent off more than once this season.
“Only in Italy do they send off Coaches and suspend them. No other country in the world does this unless they do something really serious. Don’t let me talk too much about this, otherwise I’ll say what I really think!
“I was never sent off in England or Turkey, where you can talk to the Fourth Official and nothing happens. It’s natural to talk.”
The tactician also shrugged off questions about his future depending on securing a Champions League spot.
“We knew our objective from the start, we’re on track with our programmes. We did very well at the start, then by drawing or losing games we should’ve won, wasted a lot of that momentum.”
Geoffrey Kondogbia has struggled to adapt to Serie A after his nearly €30m move.
“I believe in Geoffrey Kondogbia and it’s his first year in Italy, so such a young player is going to take a while to adapt to such a tactical League as Serie A. He can do extraordinary things and can also lose his way with nothing, so that’s all part of the growth process.
“The price-tag certainly weighs on how people evaluate him and he probably feels the pressure of that too, but I am sure when he improves physically too he’ll become great.”
This week Martin Montoya said he stopped feeling like a football player during his six months at Inter.
“It’s a pity, but I can understand a player gets demoralised when he doesn’t get to play very often. I’m sorry, he’s a good lad, a serious professional and I wish him all the best for his next experience.”