Pioli praises Inter attitude

PALERMO – Stefano Pioli was understandably satisfied after his Inter side made it six league wins from six for the first time since November 2012 with a 1-0 defeat of Palermo on Sunday.

"It was a fantastic performance – we didn’t let them have any shots on target," said the Nerazzurri coach after the match. "We’ve won at a place where Lazio, AC Milan and Juventus all found it tough. We made six or seven goalscoring chances and they caused us virtually no problems at all.

"I tried to pick the players that were a bit fresher, especially after we had to play extra time in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday. I think this team’s biggest strength is our great players. My job is to make as few mistakes as possible. I’ve seen only positive attitude from them."

One of the key moments in the match came when Pioli replaced Ever Banega with Joao Mario – who promptly scored the winner – but the Inter boss was keen to stress the importance of the Argentine to the team.

"Banega is a central part of this project. A good side like ours needs lots of different options in the engine room of the team. My decisions in that area depend on the fitness of the players and the tactical nature of the game."

Pioli was asked to leave the touchline shortly after Cristian Ansaldi’s sending off on 80 minutes, with the Nerazzurri coach admitting he was in the wrong.

 "Irrati sent me off because I had come out of my technical area, but play had stopped so I didn’t think it was necessary. That said, I was in the wrong and paid the price. It wasn’t a red card for Ansaldi. The pitch was very slick so it was tough for him to stop himself. Both players wanted the ball."