APPIANO GENTILE – Frank de Boer has urged his Inter players to give the Nerazzurri fans the win over Juventus they so desperately crave on Sunday night.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Saturday afternoon, De Boer insisted that his side could get all three points at San Siro.
"We’re facing a very good side, everyone knows that,” said De Boer. “I have great respect for what they’ve achieved in recent years. We need to make sure we’re well-prepared and draw on our fans’ support. This side proved they could beat Juventus in the Coppa Italia semi-final last year."
"It’ll be my first Inter v Juventus match and I’m sure it will be a great experience. I can’t wait to walk out at a sold-out stadium. The players know that it’s a special match – they don’t need any motivation to give their all. All I ask is that they give their all tomorrow, then against Empoli, then again against Bologna and so on.
"It’s tough to stay focused and give everything all the time, but that’s professional sport. You don’t win titles by beating the big teams, but by winning all the other games. That’s why we need to give 100% at all times."
De Boer acknowledged that there was pressure around the club after Thursday night’s loss to Hapoel, but made it clear that it was nothing he wasn’t used to.
"When you’re the coach of Inter, it’s normal to have pressure. We’re all working hard to improve every week, but obviously not everything can be perfect in just over a month. I’m sure that we’ll be able to put Inter back where it belongs.
"I had an idea of what I might find here in terms of the media. It’s the same at all clubs. It’s not easy to achieve results straight away, but with the quality of the players we have and the support from the club I’m sure we’ll get there.
"I don’t know if this is the toughest moment of my career. There was huge pressure at Ajax too. I know that I can look in the mirror and say that I’m doing everything I can. I made the decision to take this job knowing that I could take the pressure. Obviously, that pressure eases off when you achieve positive results."
The Inter boss also touched on the Europa League defeat by Hapoel, reiterating his call for the side to stay focused in the face of any setbacks.
"He lost our heads a bit after conceding against Hapoel, but I analysed it with the players and told them that we needed to continue playing in the same way, without changing our approach to the game. I might change things tactically, but in terms of our head and heart it needs to be the same no matter what.
"We need to respect every opponent. My staff and I analyse every team really thoroughly and study footage before drawing conclusions. That happens regardless of who the opposition is. Sometimes the details change, perhaps in terms of pressing and tactical tweaks, and we react to that."
De Boer said that any errors of the like seen so far this season would be quickly pounced upon by Sunday’s opponents.
"It’s dangerous to make mistakes against any side in the first or second phases of the play, but a team like Juventus will punish us straight away. We need to be mentally prepared. So far when we’ve conceded goals they’ve come at a time when we’ve been playing well and creating chances. When that happens we need to make sure we don’t change our approach to the game. If possible, we want to score first and prevent our opponents from getting back into the game.
The Dutchman would not be drawn on how Inter will line up against Juventus, but acknowledged the importance of managing his squad well with so many matches coming up.
"I need to think in the long term – we can’t take too many risks with a long season and four games in 11 days ahead. On paper of course all coaches want all their players available for every game, especially in terms of building up that innate understanding. I’ll have to take risks with some decisions.
"Those not involved on Thursday were hard at work here in Appiano Gentile. The fitness is there now. We’ll focus on tactics this afternoon."
There was a new face at the training ground on Saturday morning as Gabriel Barbosa trained for the first time as a Nerazzurri player. And De Boer revealed that the Brazilian will be in attendance for the Derby d’Italia.
"He’ll be at the stadium tomorrow and he’s had his first training session today. He’ll link up with the rest of the squad soon and that will give us another option. We’re all desperate to get him fit enough to show what he can do. First of all we need to weigh up his fitness."
Last but not least, De Boer called on the fans to get behind the team tomorrow night.
"They need to give their support to Inter because it’s very important for the team, especially in the tough times. They players need to feel the love from their fans."
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