GENOA – "It was crucial for us get this win tonight, the lads were very aware of that. It was important for us after games against Tottenham and Juve when we played well, today we got the result as well. What's even more important is that we now find some consistency." That was Andrea Stramaccioni's first comment after watching his side claim three points at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris thanks to Rodrigo Palacio's double.
The coach went on to praise the Argentine striker, who took his total to 22 goals for the season with his brace this evening: "His was the first name I put to my president, the first player we decided to build things around. His season is worth double: he's come on loads and has become one of the leaders of this team."
Stramaccioni was asked for a comment about Mauro Icardi: "He looked very good. He's one of the best youngsters around in Serie A."
As for Matias Silvestre: "I think he played very well tonight. When Sampdoria were having their best spell, he showed he's capable of performing well. Why didn't Samuel play? We need to handle him carefully and we didn't want to push anything by putting him through two games so close together."
The coach also reserved praise for Mateo Kovacic: "He was the deep-lying playmaker that I was after. He's an absolute top-class player, Inter have made a sound investment there. Guarin? Overall I'm satisfied with his performance."
