NEW JERSEY - After watching his troops complete their morning workout at the New York Red Bulls Training Facility today, and with little more than 24 hours to go before Inter's Guinness International Champions Cup opener against Chelsea, Walter Mazzarri spoke to Inter Channel about how things are going so far in the States.
"The pros are that it's a great experience for us and we're in a beautiful place. The only downer is perhaps the time difference and all the travelling, which may have a bit of an effect on the players. But on the plus side we get to test ourselves against top teams and that can only be a good thing for us."
Inter's pre-season preparations have seen them take on a series of opponents of increasing difficulty: Trentino Team, Vicenza, FeralpiSalò, Hamburg and now Chelsea. Tomorrow's match will pit Mazzarri's developing side against top-notch opposition in front of a packed stadium.
"It's always good to play in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Apart from the veterans, a lot of the players are still quite young and they need to get used to playing with this sort of atmosphere. It's all good experience, coming up against a big team like Chelsea and doing it in front of a packed house."
The coach also revealed what he expects from his players against José Mourinho's side.
"I'd like to see us move up a gear in terms of our intensity, speed and fitness levels. I hope to see the players making moves on and off the ball that are more in line with the sort of football I like to play and the sort I'd like to see us producing once we get into our full stride."
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