MILAN – Frank de Boer heaped praise on his side after they defeated Juventus 2-1 at San Siro on Sunday evening.
"We worked as a team. I have faith in this group, as I’ve always said. Our journey has just started, but the lads have understood the project," said the Inter boss after the final whistle.
"We didn’t lose our heads when we went a goal down – we started to fight. The team played really well and we battled from the first to the last minute. I think we deserved to win. I showed the lads what we were doing wrong and the positive things we should hold on to. The most important thing is to believe in ourselves. The group had one objective today and that was to fight until the end. And we’re not short on quality either.
"This result gives us confidence and we needed that as a team. The lads need to show this spirit in every game, against Empoli and Bologna too, otherwise all this will be for nothing. Let’s enjoy the win but we’ll be back in training tomorrow to prepare for the Empoli match. These are the games that decide the title race.
"It’s important to move as a team and today we did that. That’s the only way we can get results. I’ve always told the lads that we need to stay compact."
De Boer had kind words for Mauro Icardi, who scored to make it 1-1 before setting up Ivan Perisic for the winner.
"Icardi had an incredible game – he’s a great player. He fought right until the last minute – he was a real example for his team-mates. That said, everyone deserves praise today. The players that came on did well too – it was a team effort from the whole side. We kept it really tight and they struggled to find Dybala, who is another great player."
The Dutchman was keen to stress that his side couldn’t afford to rest on its laurels now, urging them to keep working hard.
"We want to keep improving. The most important thing is to fight as one. That’s what we want to see and today we showed that to the fans. We want to create even more chances. Sometimes when we lose the ball it can be dangerous so we want to improve on a technical level.
"It was great to see the side giving its all. That’s the Inter I want to see. We spoke a lot during the week and agreed that if we went behind we wouldn’t lose our heads. We stayed focused and compact and we were rewarded."
Finally, De Boer explained why he went with Eder instead of match-winner Perisic from the start.
"Perisic didn’t train for three or four days – he wasn’t at 100%. Eder has trained more, so that’s why I went with him from the start. I knew Ivan could create danger if he came on in the second half. I’m absolutely delighted."
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