Luciano Spalletti insists the Inter performance when losing 2-0 to Genoa “wasn’t particularly bad, but it’s difficult to react to setbacks.”
The Nerazzurri have one win in over two months, against nine-man Bologna, and seemed devoid of ideas in tonight’s 2-0 defeat.
Luciano Spalletti insists the Inter performance when losing 2-0 to Genoa “wasn’t particularly bad, but it’s difficult to react to setbacks.”
The Nerazzurri have one win in over two months, against nine-man Bologna, and seemed devoid of ideas in tonight’s 2-0 defeat.
It has been a remarkable turnaround, as Inter were unbeaten in their first 15 competitive games of the season, but since the 5-0 victory over Chievo on December 3, managed only one win in 90 minutes between Serie A and the Coppa Italia, drawing eight and losing three.
“Clearly, when you go behind on the stroke of half-time to an incident like that, when already going through a rough time, your confidence is going to be hit,” Spalletti told Mediaset Premium of the Andrea Ranocchia own goal.
“We tried to stay in the game, but we needed more balance and calm on the ball. We can’t seem to do that the way we should and when incidents go against us, we lack the calm to turn things around.
“The team didn’t put in a particularly bad performance tonight. We just needed to stay in the game and pounce on the right moment to go in front. We did have a couple of chances, but the own goal created problems.
“We must be able to grow gradually, as it’s difficult to just do a handbrake turn. We’ve got to stay in the zone moment by moment, until our determination is rewarded.
“When moving the ball around, we need to choose the right moment and be precise, otherwise everything becomes more difficult. We certainly deserved more in the second half, but Genoa were in the lead, so they could sit back and soak up the pressure comfortably.
“The first half didn’t have a lot of quality, but it was balanced. We were waiting to raise the tempo at the right moment, but then the own goal changed it. At this moment, it becomes difficult to mount a reaction.
“We are fragile right now and that makes it difficult for us to react to setbacks. There is no other solution than to believe in the potential of the team, believing that the journey ahead can get us back on track and maintain a position in the table that allows us to stay in the running for the top spots.
“We always worked well, I didn’t see particular errors, but we had chances. Samir Handanovic basically didn’t have to make a save, whereas Mattia Perin did.”