ROME – Roberto Mancini believes his team are alive and kicking in their quest to clinch the coveted third-place finish after today's 1-1 draw with Luciano Spalletti's Roma.
"We did really well until Roma threw on Edin Dzeko," began the Inter boss in his analysis of a match where the Nerazzurri were in control for more than eighty minutes. "After that we found it tough as they switched to long balls.
"Conceding an equaliser five minutes from the end is obviously a bit disappointing, perhaps we should have scored the second goal. We're frustrated that we had to do without three strikers today. If we'd had at least one of Mauro Icardi, Rodrigo Palacio or Stevan Jovetic, we would probably have won the game.
"Nevertheless, the team put in an excellent performance today, which builds on our recent displays. There are still so many points up for grabs. If we finish on level points with Roma, we've got the advantage of a better head-to-head record.
"It's still open, we've got eight more games and a long way to go. We need to win every game from now until the end. If we do that, I'm sure we'll get third spot. There are three teams in front of us who began the season with their eyes on the Scudetto, we're still in the mix and we'll keep on pushing for the third-place finish."
Mancini then commented on the performances of various individual players.
"Ivan Perisic is a great player, full of quality. He will be important for Inter in the future. He got the goal for us tonight but everyone played well. The lads were fantastic.
"Adem Ljajic put in a truly great performance. He did his bit in defence as well.
"Eder was full of running and found himself a bit isolated up there on his own. He's missing goals from his game but he's doing well.
"Marcelo Brozovic is young and has got quality. He's still a bit inconsistent, but I'm sure he'll develop into a top player.
"As for whether Felipe Melo's sub came too late, I wanted to put him on earlier but Jonathan Biabiany ran out of steam so I had to put on Rey Manaj. Then Radja Nainggolan scored following Edin Dzeko's scuffed shot."
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