Frank de Boer explained his changes to Inter mentality and training regime, is ready for Gabigol’s debut, but shrugged off Scudetto talk.
The encounter with Bologna kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
De Boer hit the headlines today in Tuttosport for his new approach to discipline, including one day off for every three of work and less strict focus on diet.
Frank de Boer explained his changes to Inter mentality and training regime, is ready for Gabigol’s debut, but shrugged off Scudetto talk.
The encounter with Bologna kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
De Boer hit the headlines today in Tuttosport for his new approach to discipline, including one day off for every three of work and less strict focus on diet.
“Yesterday we gave the players a day off, as some had just one day of rest in three weeks, so that was not just an issue of physical fatigue, but it was even more important to give them a rest mentally to forget football and spend time with their families,” said the Coach in his Press conference.
“It will always be important for me to train the way we play. We learn more in a training session than during a game, so that is what we changed, the attitude that we’re not just warming up for Sunday, but as soon as you walk through the door of the Inter camp, you are there to improve yourself.”
When asked about their title chances, De Boer shrugged off the question.
“I don’t want to talk about the Scudetto, because we know who is the favourite for the Scudetto. Our objective is to win game by game, work hard and get results, not talk about the Scudetto. This is not the right moment.”
The Dutch tactician is now giving interviews in Italian, although the ex-Barcelona man does slip back into Spanish at times.
Gabriel Barbosa is in the squad now and was on the bench in the 2-0 win at Empoli on Wednesday. Is he ready for his debut?
“He needs to learn our philosophy and how we want to press, to attack, as all these are very important things. I saw in training that he has a lot of quality, but we need to take it one step at a time. He is ready to debut.
“The great thing about Gabigol is that he can dribble without looking at the ball, so he has a vision of the game and where he’s going. Not many players can do that.
“Cristian Ansaldi is ready to play tomorrow. He can’t play 90 minutes, but could make his debut on Sunday.”
In the midweek round, Inter opened the scoring for the first time this season. What has changed in recent outings?
“It was very important not just physically, but also to understand my philosophy of football. We couldn’t do that in just two weeks. It takes time and will continue to take time.
“The players understand me better and it’s normal for me that we should take a while to understand each other.”
Mauro Icardi has scored all but one of Inter’s goals this season between Serie A and the Europa League. When will the others begin to contribute?
“Midfielders are usually the heart of the team. At times we play with just one holding midfielder, at others Ever Banega is the only Number 10. These are all important details and we worked a lot on preventative marking, not just from the defenders, because we want to always attack and be ready when the game turns against us.
“It is my philosophy that we always want to control the game, from the first minute to the last.
“Icardi represents an important presence, we talked about this issue because a captain is the first man to set the example as a professional and send a signal to the rest of the team. He showed a great signal not just to me, but to his teammates.”
Marcelo Brozovic was frozen out ahead of the Juventus game due to unprofessional behaviour and De Boer confirmed he is still not called up tomorrow.
Stevan Jovetic rarely seems to feature for Inter, but can he play behind the centre-forward, for example in the way Dennis Bergkamp used to play for Ajax?
“I think that is possible. He is showing in training that he’s working very hard to send a signal to the Coach that when we need him, he is ready. The fact that the players work hard for me, that is what’s important.”
Has De Boer already realised the speed at which opinion changes in the Italian sports media?
“Whenever a Coach comes into a new country, people will always think you have to give something special. People expected something extra, that’s normal for me, but they also realise I cannot change everything in two weeks. It’s one step at a time.”