VERONA - Andrea Stramaccioni’s Inter were back to their winning ways and the
coach spoke to Sky Sport Italia after the Week 5 victory in the Serie A against
Chievo. It was the fifth away win, Italy and Europe combined, and
arrived after the loss against Siena at the San Siro.
"For us it was important to come back and win after the defeat on Sunday,
and I think that in general, over the 90 minutes, Inter deserved to win,"
said the Nerazzurri coach. He also spoke about the change in formation that was
seen on the pitch this evening at the Stadio Bentegodi: "I think this
could be the foundation on which to work. It's the best way to get the most out
of the players I have available. A mixture of strength that, at the same time,
allows us to be dangerous up front without losing our balance. I see the flank
players in our formation as the thermometer of the mentality that we need to
have. I had asked the boys to have a little more courage in getting into the
box. I think this is the way to cover the pitch better and my way of exploiting
the weapons at my disposal."
But Stramaccioni is not resting on his laurels: "We still have a lot of
work to do. These days the start of the match has been the moment in which
we’ve suffered the most, and with little training under our belts we’ve been
struggling to find the right measures. I don’t get down in difficult times, but
then after an important win we also have to get ready for the next game."
Antonio Cassano now has 300 matches in the Serie A with 90 goals, and at the
end of the game he thanked his coach for "having been up front and wanting
him at Inter". Stramaccioni responded: "What I have to say to Antonio
I tell him in person. I thank these lads because today they showed the
characteristics on the pitch that people were saying they didn’t have. That is
to say, they showed spirit, character, strength and more balance, which is what
we need to continue showing."
The Nerazzurri coach went on to explain his particular relationship with the
forward from Bari: "I’m very direct, simple, and I think that a player can
appreciate this aspect, but I certainly wasn’t the only one who wanted him here
at Inter. I congratulate him, but the road is still long. Now is the time to
work. I’ve only had all the players available since 2 September and now we have
a lot of work to do. We’ve changed nine players and the coach has changed as
well. I think that's normal."
Finally, on the offside complaint regarding Alvaro Pereira’s goal, Stramaccioni joked: "Well perhaps his ponytail was offside..."
