Zenit St Petersburg's Mircea Lucescu says Frank De Boer 'must not bring a fixed formation' to Inter but remain flexible.
The Romanian Coach had a brief stint with the Nerazzurri himself, but he resigned with little glory after a 4-0 defeat to Sampdoria.
Looking at De Boer's rough start with the Italian team, he says he understands how that feels.
Zenit St Petersburg's Mircea Lucescu says Frank De Boer 'must not bring a fixed formation' to Inter but remain flexible.
The Romanian Coach had a brief stint with the Nerazzurri himself, but he resigned with little glory after a 4-0 defeat to Sampdoria.
Looking at De Boer's rough start with the Italian team, he says he understands how that feels.
“Of course, you find yourself picking up a team on the run, so it's very hard to fix the things that are going wrong and bringing in your ideas,” Lucescu told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “If there's a winning structure, then the best thing is to maintain it as much as possible and provide some slight changes over time.
“In the absence of that, a lot of work is necessary to change. And this is where the players become crucial.
“Coaches always try to bring players they know when they join a new club, those who already worked with them or understand their style.
“[Pep] Guardiola does it all the time, and so does [Jose] Mourinho, who just brought [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic to Manchester United.
“It's something that helps greatly. And footballers are curious. They know that one of their teammates spoke with the new Coach and so they grow interested, they ask questions.”
De Boer's 2-0 defeat in Inter's opener against Chievo had much to do with his decision to field a three-man defence, even though he'd done little work with it.
“I won't discuss this subject. All I can say is that a Coach should not join a team with a formation already in his mind. Rather he should adapt to the quality of the players he finds, and choose the right tactical set-up.
“And a knowledge of the championship is extremely important. Especially in Italy, where things are difficult because there's great balance, even when you don't expect it.
“De Boer is a man of football, with an international resume that speaks for itself. If the team helps him, he can affirm himself.”