Leonardo: "A strong message from Inter tonight"
"I saw a very even game: at certain points Napoli tried to win the game as they were playing at home, but I am very satisfied with the performance of my team, on several occasions they coped with being on the back foot. We had two chances that could have changed the game, but I think our win on penalties is highly deserved. We didn’t suffer excessively and, as I said, it was an even match.” Leonardo spoke to RAI after Inter’s win over Napoli, which game in the penalty shootout, and the team’s progression to the semi-finals. “It’s true, at one point we were struggling in the middle of the field” admitted the Brazilian coach, “but I didn’t see a big difference between the sides.”
When the journalists suggested Inter struggled a lot more compared with Napoli, Leonardo replied: “I don’t agree. We had to make two substitutions (Mariga for Stankovic and Lucio for Cordoba), which meant the team needed some time to adjust, but the players responded perfectly. Stankovic’s condition? We will have to examine it carefully, at the moment I can’t say anything.”
Tonight, for the first time under Leonardo, Inter managed to keep a clean sheet, which of course brought a smile to the coach’s face: “We noticed it too, Castellazzi is doing very well. We must keep in mind that the side is adapting to the change in coaching and this has a bearing on performances. Despite this, today the team gave a strong message to all of us.” And Leonardo had words of praise for Ranocchia also: “I liked what I saw. He has managed to fit in with the mechanisms of a new team, he got his chance tonight in what was a really tough game and now Andrea is on the same level as all the other Inter defenders as far as selection is concerned. It is very promising for the future.”
With only five days left in the January transfer window Leonardo reiterated his point: “We shall see what happens and I shall repeat what I said previously: if we can add a player it will be an improvement, but today we demonstrated that this team already has a great spirit. Inter hadn’t won here at the San Paolo since 1997, this is a very tough place to get a result, particularly in the Coppa Italia and in a one off game. Of course, if it was up to me, I’d abolish extra time and skip straight to penalties. The league is already very tough as it is, we have a lot of injuries, it would be better to spare the players a bit. And for this reason also I want to highlight the extraordinary spirit of this team.”
I know I've said it before but I love when this guy speaks :thumbsup:
Forum Supporter
