APPIANO GENTILE – If last week saw the Nerazzurri pitting their wits against Juventus – always considered a massive game – this weekend Mazzarri's men find themselves up against a newly promoted side. And going from Juventus to Sassuolo means running the risk of a dip in concentration - something Hugo Campagnaro is keen to avoid, as he told Sky Sport 24 in an interview today: "Games like the one we have on Sunday are sometimes the most dangerous of all. We want to get a good result so that we can keep up our positive start."
The defender then assessed Inter's early-season form. "I can't say I expected we'd start this well, though I certainly hoped we would. I was curious to see how we'd do and so far it's going well.
"Have Inter exceeded expectations? The team isn't all that different. Last season they finished ninth but things have changed and we're doing well. Against Juve too, we created plenty of chances and didn't let them have that many.
"It was important to come in on the first day of our pre-season retreat and erase the past, start over from scratch and only look forward. We managed to do that and now we must push on."
Having worked with Walter Mazzarri for the last seven years, Campagnaro is in the perfect position to say how well Inter have assimilated the coach's methods and ideas. "We're doing well in that respect. We're improving with every match and with every match we're trying to learn from the mistakes we made in the previous one. The coach hammers home the importance of being organised as a team. He wants to see order on the pitch.
"Three-man defence? That's something Mazzarri is really careful about because you might get a striker capable of doing the unexpected, so everyone at the back must remain totally focused. I don't think it's got anything to do with me if a three-man system didn't work here before but does now; it's more to do with the general organisation."
A comment on the title race: "We're not so far behind Juventus, although they remain a notch ahead of us. I think they've got the strongest squad in Serie A. They pretty much have two teams and in the long run that can prove decisive when you need to bring in fresh legs. We're working well and we've got a great squad of our own.
"How far behind Juventus are Napoli? I think they're on the same level because they made some excellent summer signings. Cavani has moved on but they've strengthened with Higuain and all the others. I don't think they've changed that much; in fact I think they might play even better now because they have more quality throughout the squad."
The defender ended by talking about the club and whether the team is able to shut itself away from all the talk surrounding negotiations between president Moratti and Erick Thohir. "It's not something that concerns us. We have to channel all our attention onto the pitch.
"What impression have I had of Moratti? I haven't been here long but I know what he means to this team and this club."
