GLASGOW – Roberto Mancini was disappointed to see his side lose their first-half lead at Celtic Park but feels the 3-3 draw stands the Nerazzurri in good stead ahead of the return leg at San Siro next week.
Speaking to journalists after tonight's Europa League last-32 meeting, the coach said: "If you sit deep against teams like this then sooner or later you're going to concede. We should have tried to hold a higher line. We were tired, though.
"We got off to a great start in the first half but then we thought the match was over. We started playing around and that was our mistake because we let them back into it. That's something we need to improve.
"There's always going to be regret after the way things went tonight but I don't think 3-3 in Glasgow is a bad result. We came here looking to take the game to them and it wasn't easy. We made the mistake of taking our foot off the pedal when we were in front."
Asked about his midfield selection, the coach continued: "Kuzmanovic played well tonight. He hadn't played for a bit and he suffered with fatigue in spells. Kovacic not starting? A midfielder needs experience and he's not ready yet. But the fact he was left out doesn't mean I don't rate him. He'll have chances to play over the coming games because he's an important player."
Mancini then fielded questions on a number of other players. "I don't think we can expect Guarin to score two goals every game. It was important for Icardi to play; he needed to get his fitness back up. Shaqiri is in great form and is probably most comfortable in the centre. I went with Carrizo because he's always played in the cup. He's a good goalkeeper."
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LE PAROLE DI MANCINI POST CELTIC INTER
