MILAN - Piero Ausilio lamented a lack of character and focus as the reason behind the Nerazzurri's defeat to Juventus this evening.
Speaking to Mediaset Premium after the final whistle, the Inter sporting director said: "Regardless of how we lost this game we should remember where we were playing. Many a team have lost here. We did very well in the first half but if you look at the goal I don't think you can say it's got much to do with formations. Today it was more about attitude, mentality and drive."
Asked about Inter's January transfer business, Ausilio replied: "All the transfer moves we made were agreed upon. The few really tidy midfielders around just aren't for sale. Rather than do something for the sake of it we preferred to go for a forward like Eder. To be perfectly honest, there aren't many deep-lying playmakers to be found and it was difficult for us to sign them."
On the race to qualify for the Champions League: "Everyone in Italy goes on about third place as if the qualifying round didn't exist. Recent history shows that you first need to fight to get into the qualifier and then you need to fight over two legs."
Ausilio then identified where the team went wrong in the second half: "You can play football in many ways but today we lost mainly because we weren't focused enough when we went back out after the break. That's unacceptable at this level, especially if you have the honour of playing for Inter."
