Frank de Boer is “very enthusiastic” about his Serie A debut and warns Inter must “dominate” every game, starting from Chievo.
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT) at the Stadio Bentegodi, click here for a match preview.
This is his competitive debut and only the second match in charge, as De Boer took over from Roberto Mancini under two weeks ago.
Frank de Boer is “very enthusiastic” about his Serie A debut and warns Inter must “dominate” every game, starting from Chievo.
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT) at the Stadio Bentegodi, click here for a match preview.
This is his competitive debut and only the second match in charge, as De Boer took over from Roberto Mancini under two weeks ago.
“I am very enthusiastic to finally start. Everybody wants to play for real, where there’s something at stake. Of course we only played one friendly game in a short period to get information about this team and the personal things of the players.
“I am confident the team is ready for the first game, so I am looking forward to it,” said the Dutchman in his Press conference.
This is his first impact with Serie A football, so what is he most concerned about?
“I am not worried. Of course it’s better to have more time on the physical and especially the tactical aspect. What I’ve seen in the last week and a half was players eager to learn the tactics we want to see.
“Hopefully we’ll see something of that tomorrow. I think the players have understood what we want and the most important thing is that they believe in it.
“I am very excited for this first game. What I want to see is first of all that you play with your heart and we’ve got a lot of good players in this team. If we’re going to make this really a team, they have to want to fight for each other and we don’t just depend on one player.
“We want to dominate games as much as possible, with due respect for our opponents, and create a lot of chances. That’s normally what I want to see from my team.”
This is somewhat different to the approach Mancini took, so how will De Boer transform that mentality?
“We have to be physically ready, so that’s very important, and recognise when we have to dominate games. I also feel dominating doesn’t just mean pinning the opponent back into their own final third, but also dictating which areas they can play in and forcing them to play the way you want them to.
“It’s a different philosophy and one I think every player can embrace.”
The Dutch school transformed football, so is there a club he wants to use as a reference point for his Inter in future?
“I think we also have to evaluate the school in Holland. We did a fantastic job, especially in the era of Johan Cruyff, but also see what we can learn from Germany and England. I am not only focused on the Holland school, but also new technology and new approaches. I want to get all of that and mix it in with my DNA.
“I like to play effective football, but I also want to be realistic. If this is the best we can do right now, we’ll play like this. We want the fans to enjoy themselves, but results remain the most important, so that’s the balance you need to find.”
With Juventus reinforcing so much, can Inter challenge for the Scudetto or start out targeting second place?
“We want to try to win every game and at the end of the season we’ll see where we end up. I always want to win, that’s 100 per cent sure. After a few months we can say if that’s realistic or if we’re fighting for third or second place.
“I want to be in the fight for the Championship as long as possible. I don’t know if it’s realistic, as it also depends on if you’re lucky with injuries. We have to be realistic, as over the last four years it was not so easy to be top of Serie A, but I came here to win prizes. Hopefully it’ll be in the first year, maybe the second, we will see.”
Jeison Murillo is suspended tomorrow, so will Andrea Ranocchia start, as he did in the friendly with Celtic?
“I think Ranocchia is a very good player, I’m convinced he can still be a very important player for Inter. Don’t forget two or three years ago he was one of the most talented defenders in Italy and it’s still in him, so I’m convinced I will get him where I want him to be and give him confidence.
“If you play here, you have to have quality, and I am sure he’ll show it if he plays.”