Pioli: "The lads deserved this"

UDINE - Stefano Pioli has hailed Inter's victory over Udinese as just reward for his squad's effort and application on the training ground since the Christmas break.

“When we came back from holidays I saw that all the lads were really up for working hard. That sort of attitude makes all the difference," the Nerazzurri boss said during his post-match media duties.

"I'm delighted for them because they deserved the three points given how dedicated they've been in training. You get nowhere unless everyone is prepared to graft.

“Inter were definitely in the game today although we misplaced too many passes when we were trying to start moves in the first half.

“We managed to hold on when we came under pressure and thanks to the work we've put in on the training ground in the last two weeks we came through it and managed to get the win."

Pioli also commented on his side's difficulty to contain Udinese in the first half and whether Ever Banega and Joao Mario might play together.

“We know we need to start games better but we fought really hard to turn the game around after going behind. It's not easy to come here and carve out five or six chances but that's what we did.

“The more talented players we have at our disposal the more options I have. There will be time for Joao Mario and Banega to play together. They're both extremely talented footballers and we're lucky to have lots of those in this squad.”