Spalletti:"We're confident but not complacent"

APPIANO GENTILE – Luciano Spalletti was in for his press conference as he spoke to the media ahead of his team’s trip to Crotone. “The team must be confident but be aware of the risks of complacency,” he said. “In the last match against SPAL, I saw the right attitude. The result wasn’t to be taken for granted and the boys behaved correctly, I’m sure that it will be the same tomorrow.” 

The match against Crotone could prove to be a tricky fixture. “We can’t consider matches such as this one to be less important, we still have 35 matches to play and they’re all important and they must all be approached in the best of ways. I know Nicola well, I know that he’s a coach who’s very good at motivating his players and he showed that last year. The team follows his instructions to the letter and Crotone will be a tough opponent to face.”  

Against Crotone and in following matches, it’s vital that everybody can contribute. “I have some doubts about the team because everyone is training in the right way and that makes my job harder,” Spalletti went on. “We need everybody to make a contribution, it’s vital that we have players who can decide a game coming off the bench. A great player doesn’t decide in which game he’s going to be a great player. A great player leaves his mark on a game in any situation. I always expect to see this attitude from my players.” 

Inter have only conceded one goal from three games so far. “I was expecting the team to improve defensively because I can see that they’re working calmly and paying attention every day in training. If the players think as a team, they’ll concede fewer goals. Then, we have Miranda and Skriniar who are two excellent players who still haven’t shown all of their potential. You can speak similarly about the midfield. I decide who to pick from time to time but we have strong players available to us here.”  On the subject of the attack, Icardi and Perisic have played a decisive role so far. “They are two exceptional players but we also have other options. Mauro and Ivan have great quality but we are sure that we have a collective group which works and looks to give its all in every game. We’ll need goals from all of our players to make the Champions League.”