APPIANO GENTILE – As Inter prepare for their final match of the year against Lazio tomorrow, Roberto Mancini has underlined the importance of building on Monday's win over Chievo with another positive result.
Speaking to the gathered media at a news conference this morning, the Nerazzurri coach began: "The lads have been looking good, although I thought the same last week too. The main thing is that they keep on improving. Of course everything looks rosier after a win - we needed that."
Mancini was asked to assess his first few weeks in the hotseat. "We've lost two games so I can't be happy with our points haul. I am however happy with the mood in the camp. The lads are learning and improving quickly. If they keep on as they are, we'll soon make up the points we've dropped in recent outings.
"We mustn't look at the table for now: you achieve your targets at the end of the season. In any case I believe we'll be in the mix for third place. I'm optimistic because I see the team making progress with every week that passes and the points we've dropped were due to mistakes that we can work on.
"I'm pleased with the way we performed in Verona. We took the game to Chievo and got at them high up the pitch. Obviously that doesn't mean there aren't things we still need to improve. There's a group of teams battling for third so putting together a good run is key."
The boss then fielded specific questions on various players.
"Hernanes is better. He spent the whole week training with the rest of the squad. He hasn't got 90 minutes in him but he'll be on the bench and could come in handy as a sub.
"Kovacic can play a key role in his position. He did well against Chievo but I'm sure he can do a lot better still. He's young and has a lot to offer.
"It's a shame Osvaldo isn't available tomorrow but sadly he had family problems.
"Palacio's ankle? If we'd had the option of playing with other strikers, he would have rested. Unfortunately we don't have any choice but I'm more than happy to use Rodrigo even if he's not at his best. I was happy with his performance in Verona.
"Guarin's future? He belongs to Inter and he's an important player. He's got huge margin for improvement and there are no problems there.
"Camara is a young, talented kid but I don't think he's the one who can change things for us at the moment. Stefano Vecchi is doing a great job with him. We might see him in the first team a bit further down the line."
Mancini also gave his take on tomorrow's opponents: "Lazio are a great team and it's going to be an extremely tough match for us. We have to try and play our own game and build on what we showed we're capable of in Verona. A win tomorrow night would be a big boost for our self-esteem."
He then analysed some tactical aspects, starting with the defence. "It's better if we try not to change things around too much. For the sake of consistency, it's important not to chop and change personnel but when Vidic is better he'll definitely get a chance to play more because he's a great player.
"Could Hernanes and Kovacic play together? Yes, they're both capable of carrying out attacking and defensive duties. I like having skilful players on the pitch."
Finally, the coach was quizzed about the coming transfer window, and in particular what sort of player he would like to sign. "We certainly need a wide forward, someone who's fast, skilful and above all someone who can score loads and loads of goals," he grinned. "It's not easy to find players in January but we need someone in that area who can make a difference."
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LIVE! CONFERENZA STAMPA ROBERTO MANCINI PRIMA DI INTER-LAZIO 20.12.2014 H:12:15
