Pioli: "Inter ready for vital Cagliari match"

APPIANO GENTILE – Stefano Pioli has backed his Inter side to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Roma when they visit Cagliari on Sunday.

"We have to channel the disappointment and use it to our advantage," said Pioli, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday. "It’s up to us to ensure that our upcoming matches mean something. We have to perform well against Cagliari: our goal is to finish third and that cannot change until it’s no longer possible.

"We need to try to be a bit more clinical because Cagliari have built their season on their home form. We need to be alert."

Pioli admitted that the loss to Roma had been tough to take, but stressed that all is not lost.

"We lost a match that we wanted to approach differently," he said. "We’ve always looked at both the positives and the negatives. We lost a battle but we’ve not lost the war – things just didn’t go right in the key moments of the match.

"Our only objective is to give 100% every time we play. The stats never lie – I think that what’s holding us back is the number of chances we’re converting. Scoring a goal or not comes down to your quality and determination and we’re working on those things.

"We need to improve on a few minor areas in defence and attack, but these things come through hard work, awareness and getting into the habit of putting them into practice on the pitch. Despite the fact that we’ve lost some of the big head to heads, the gap isn’t all that big – this team has what it takes."

The Nerazzurri coach stressed that his side is fully focused on finishing the season on a high.

"We don’t take any notice of rumours. The team and I are concentrated on working hard right until the end," said Pioli. "I’m not worried about anything. Every match is vital for us and we know that we can’t afford to make many mistakes if we want to finish near the top. We have to give our all and do everything we can to win matches.

"We’re working hard and our objective is to cut the gap with last season’s top three. Going forward it’s important that we add quality players in order to catch those teams, but it takes time and hard work. We have to create a solid base before we can set about overhauling them. I don’t think the gap is that big, but we are lacking something. We’re on the right track and we have the quality – that’s what makes me believe we can catch the teams ahead of us."

Finally, Pioli gave an update on squad fitness for the trip to Cagliari.

"Banega had a few problems a couple of weeks ago, but he’s back training with the group now and is in good shape both physically and mentally. He’s available. I’ll look at Brozovic and Joao Mario tomorrow, but I won’t make any decisions based on who’s at risk of suspension."