MILAN - "It certainly was a thriller...", Claudio Ranieri smiled uncomfortably at the end of the match. "But before going on to talk about the match I would like to thank all the people who helped clear the terraces, the fans, the referee and the players, all of whom made this match possible," said the coach.
"This match was crazy and was a great spectacle. A crazy Inter, a crazy Palermo, everyone was crazy... [smiling, Ed.]. It was a great spectacle in a hostile climate," he added.
Ranieri was asked if not including Walter Samuel in the line-ups had been an error: "Probably, but Walter wasn't 100% fit. It's a pity because they had five shots on goal and scored four times. A shame. But there were two teams on the pitch who wanted to win and neither was going to give up easily. That's football and this match was a great advertisement for the game. Defensive errors? We did make some errors all right... Was it a step backwards for Ranocchia? No, it was a step backwards for everyone. But when you're playing every three days it isn't that easy, and on a pitch like that... It was in good condition but it was slippery out there."
They spoke about Sneijder and the instructions he was given the day before the match: "I wasn't having a go at Sneijder. In Lecce the three-man attack didn't fall back and didn't defend. I believe in his quality; he's an incredible player, who has a lot to give us. Today I played Wes out on the left because there was a defender who didn't press forward and we played well. When we won the derby we did it because we were compact. With 2 strikers and an attacking midfielder we lose our reference points to some extent. I spoke to the team and we decided to try again, then I tried Sneijder on the left wing. We must always find our balance. It's true, I have always liked a defence that plays upfield, but it's difficult to do it here where there's a natural problem about pulling the defensive lines back. Substituting Sneijder? He took a bad knock to his right leg. Will he be fit for the Roma match? I doubt it. Our alternating results? Ours, as well as those of the others, are due to playing every three days."
Are Inter not so strong as they used to be? We'll see. Only history can tell us, but I'm quietly confident. I don't think we have been weakened, Inter's squad are competitive and have gone through to the knockout stage of the Champions League."
Finally a comment on Diego Milito's four goals: "I don't think I've ever heard of a player scoring four and his team not winning the match..."
