Walter Mazzarri aimed sideswipes at old club Napoli, the Inter boo boys and fitness problems ahead of tomorrow’s clash.
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“The break for international duty went very well,” said the Coach in his Press conference after two consecutive Serie A defeats.
Walter Mazzarri aimed sideswipes at old club Napoli, the Inter boo boys and fitness problems ahead of tomorrow’s clash.
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“The break for international duty went very well,” said the Coach in his Press conference after two consecutive Serie A defeats.
“We discussed and worked on the mistakes made. I saw the lads eager to get back on track from tomorrow. We are preparing the game in every detail and I hope everyone can put into practice what we tried in training. We hope to guarantee intensity and preferably get the incidents going our way.
“I am curious to see what happens against Napoli. They are a strong side and it will certainly be a fascinating game. They are strong, organised with a great Coach, but I don’t like talking about our opponents too much.”
In the post-conference interview with Inter Channel, Mazzarri also aimed a sideswipe at his old club Napoli.
“Thank God my career has always been ascending, as I have arrived at a top top club. In this journey I had wonderful and less wonderful moments, but with experience I am now sure of my decisions.”
There are reports Mazzarri could be fired with a third straight defeat, but President Erick Thohir always stood up for his Coach.
“I was very pleased, even if my conception of the team doesn’t change. We want to be competitive for the Champions League, because that is the main objective.
“A message for the fans? I can only agree with Thohir and the players. Jeering is never nice to hear and the supporters must cheer us on for the entire 90 minutes. If there is dissatisfaction, it should be expressed after the final whistle, as during the game it only creates many problems and extra pressure. The players feel that.
“At times it’s not clear who the jeers are directed at. Fans want results, I make my decisions. The situation is not very clear.
“I think it’s early to call this game a play-off for third place. We worked well, pressed the right buttons and tomorrow I want to see that desire to prove ourselves.
“Everyone knows my football by now and what I want to see, which is aggression and tempo. Win back the ball and run forward: that never changes. I want a result, as for the moment beautiful football can wait.”
Gary Medel and Mateo Kovacic returned from international duty with knocks, so Mazzarri said he will “evaluate both of them today.”
Daniel Osvaldo is out for a month, Danilo D’Ambrosio for six weeks, while Jonathan, Yuto Nagatomo and Fredy Guarin also require fitness tests.
“Was our pre-season preparation wrong? I think ‘wrong’ is not the correct word. My fitness coach hasn’t got anything wrong in 13 years, but after the World Cup it was not easy. Players worked for at most 15 days in a training camp, while some like Medel returned injured from Brazil and could not train.”