Spalletti: "The Tottenham match can give us belief"
Team
— Sep 17th 2018The Nerazzurri Coach ahead of the Champions League opener: "They're very strong but we're not inferior and we have great desire to be here"
APPIANOGENTILE - After a lot of waiting, it’s almost time for Inter’s return to the Champions League. A day before the match between Inter and Tottenham Hotspur in Group B on Europe’s biggest stage, LucianoSpalletti spoke at the pre-match press conference held at the Suning Training Centre. "Matches such as the Tottenham one mean a lot and they can give us a lot in terms of enthusiasm and belief. I’ve had the fortune of taking part in the Champions League on multiple occasions. It’s a competition that delivers extraordinary emotions that you can’t do without after."
The Nerazzurri Coach then turned his attention towards tomorrow’s opponents: "We’ve seen Tottenham’s last games. They’re a very strong team, as are Inter. To me, Harry Kane seems to be in excellent shape and he’s a very important player for how they play. He’s very good at laying the ball off and always picking out his teammates in the right way. Are they the favourites? I think that my players have enough will and determination to be in this competition that we spent an entire season fighting for, we cannot feel any pressure or be intimidated by the English players’ greater experience. Rather, I believe that this match is the chance to kick into gear."
Inter are coming into this game following a recent defeat to Parma: “We analyse what we do out on the pitch and we know what we have to do. I’m also aware that I am the person most responsible for the disappointing results from the start of the season. At the same time, one can’t say that we were confused during our last match: up until the 70th minute we controlled the game. We dropped off a bit towards the end and lost our shape after we conceded.
“We lacked killer-instinct in front of goal but we were well-structured for most of the game. We’re all aware that we must show something more than what we’ve done so far. We were disjointed during the final few minutes against Parma and this is something that should never happen. The players are the first ones to be disappointed by these first few results. We are still not in the position to show the quality of all our players. There’s some individual talent that has yet to emerge but I am sure it’ll arrive at some point. I am certain that this will happen soon.”
Lastly, the Nerazzurri tactician also discussed some of his individual players: “D’Ambrosio needs to be evaluated, he took a significant knock to the muscle. Some players are not feeling at their best, but we have other options and all that is needed to play this match to the best of our ability. Icardi is one of the best players I’ve ever worked with and it hardly worries me that he hasn’t yet scored. Does Brozovic have too much responsibility? I would disagree with this; he simply has to keep things tidy on the pitch and always remain in the middle where play develops."