Walter Mazzarri shrugged off Inter President Erick Thohir’s warning and expects “a great match” against Verona.
It kicks off at San Siro on Sunday at 19.45 GMT, click here for a match preview.
Walter Mazzarri shrugged off Inter President Erick Thohir’s warning and expects “a great match” against Verona.
It kicks off at San Siro on Sunday at 19.45 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“Verona have been doing well for years under Andrea Mandorlini. They also worked well on the transfer market and will always maintain the same attitude, including against us,” said Mazzarri in his Press conference.
“Personally I am interested in starting again from the first 45 minutes with Saint-Etienne, as that way we can play a great match.
“When we are at our best and sharp, we can make life difficult for any opponent, but we have to stay on point and not have dips in concentration or intensity. I will repeat that to the players today too.
“In France we made avoidable errors, so we discussed and pledged to correct the aspect of how sluggish we are under pressing at times.”
President Thohir sent out a warning this weekend, insisting he wanted points “plural” in the next three games against Verona, Milan and Roma, while he wanted the players to send a message to the fans.
“I do not want to comment on the words of the President and the club hierarchy,” said Mazzarri when asked about Thohir.
“We must all do everything possible to ensure that, in case of difficulty, everyone can help us. I just wanted to add that to what Thohir said, so I hope our fans can give us a hand.
“It’s true we got a few games wrong, but I try to see the glass half-full. The trouble is that here our opponents always give 120 per cent and some draws are treated like tragedies. It’s tougher to help young players grow in this environment than for example at Sampdoria.
“I am so glad the break for international duty is coming up. I hope it can give us time to recover some important players and get them to train consistently. If we are in good shape, then we can beat anyone, even if we’ve only shown that in fits and starts.
“Rodrigo Palacio is very important for us. Unfortunately his ankle has not completely healed, but he still had to play. I hope he can break through psychologically as soon as possible.”
There has been talk of Nemanja Vidic being sent back to Manchester United in January, either on loan or by rescinding his contract, after a series of errors.
“I am curious to see why people blamed him for the goal in France,” continued Mazzarri after a 1-1 Europa League draw with Saint-Etienne.
“He was on his man and there was a ricochet, so I don’t see what he can be blamed for. He did a great job leading the line and I think his performance was excellent.”