MILAN – Roberto Mancini empathised with the Inter fans after their defeat to AC Milan on Sunday night and called for the Nerazzurri to stick together and work hard to bounce back.
"We feel really bad for the fans because of this result and Wednesday’s, but we need to work hard to improve the situation," said Mancini after the game.
"Obviously our results haven’t been positive in this period. We haven’t performed well but it’s one of those times. Unfortunately we’ve lost and I congratulate AC Milan even though I don’t think the result should have been so resounding, given what we saw tonight."
Mancini also spoke about the incident that saw him sent to the stands during the game: "I didn’t say anything offensive but the officials are sensitive. We’ve lost three nil so it’s difficult to comment on refereeing decisions. On two or three occasions, things didn’t go well for the referee at all. There was a last-man foul in the first half [on Eder] so we deserved to be playing eleven against ten."
Asked about his team selection, Mancini declared: "Santon was fit and the others had played in the week. I chose Jovetic because he would provide us with a focal point and allow Eder to come into the play. When we’ve changed formation it’s been between 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3. The players change but we have just two systems. Up until now we’d done very well and had been top for basically the whole first half of the season.
"This is a delicate moment but the only thing we can do is feel bad about it and roll our sleeves up. We’ll come through this together. I’m convinced we’ll manage it – I’m sure of it. I can’t criticise the players at all because up until they went 2-0 up it was us dictating the game. It’s my fault.
"The defence needs to be strong again and it needs cover from midfield and from all the players. We need to stick to our lines – the midfielders need to be midfielders and the strikers need to be strikers. I take responsibility for the errors and I will try to do as much as I can to get the lads back playing at their best."
Finally, Mancini stressed that it was vital his side keep believing in themselves: "When things aren’t going well the doubts are always going to creep in, especially in young sides like ours. The only way you come through situations like this is by keeping your chin up and giving your all. We need to remember we have the quality to do that and to maintain the belief we’ve earned. The players need to remember that."
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