SARZANA – Andrea Stramaccioni commented on his Primavera team's performance after they beat Siena 2-1 in their second group game of this year's Viareggio Tournament: "Viareggio is an unusual competition. The coach has to think carefully about how best to organise his side, use the right tactics and – in games like against Siena today – try to shuffle things around to find the right way to attack the opposition.
"The lads showed great togetherness today because it wasn't easy to win this game, considering the situation we were in, the weather and also the opposition we were up against - Siena's defence was very difficult to open up. I really must congratulate my boys. We didn't want to have to pack our bags and we were determined to win."
The coach was full of praise not only for the obvious candidates suspects but also for those who did the dirty work necessary for the team to fulfil its potential: "As well as Di Gennaro, Longo and Bessa, whose names will grab the headlines, I want to stress the importance of the performances from players like Terrani, just 17, who allowed me to reshape our attack with two wide players – I think that was the move that caused Siena problems. But I also want to mention the defensive work and maturity people like Longo, who came off the bench, and Duncan, who I substituted so I could switch things around tactically. It shows that these lads have understood the importance of being part of a group with clear ideas, what it means to be at Inter."
Stramaccioni went into more detail about the formation he used today: "I think that a coach, especially if works with youngsters, needs to find the way to get the players expressing themselves to the best of their ability. It's the players who 'shape my formation'. Inter are very strong down the middle, and that's definitely an great option we have. But what I can say based on my brief experience," Stramaccioni concluded, "is that to unlock a defence like Siena's, with seven players set out in the middle, a superior team has to be able to work the flanks as well, and that's what we did today."
