Inzaghi: "Atalanta a technical and physical side: we'll need to be flexible"

APPIANO GENTILE – After beating Roma at San Siro, Inter are preparing for tomorrow's game against Atalanta on Serie A matchday 11. On the eve of the game, Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi spoke to Inter TV:

Atalanta are maybe the toughest team to face given their style of play. What is the most important thing to drill into the players for this game? "It'll be a challenging game. We know all about Atalanta, who've been a great team for years now. They have a great coach and are well run. They've been playing well this season. We'll need to be wide awake tomorrow." The Roma game showed that the team is always fully focused. What psychological or tactical aspect will you need to be most aware of against Atalanta? "Every aspect is important. We'll need to keep the same flexibility that we've had in recent games. We're taking on a physical and technical team." Apart from one great save from Sommer, Inter never really looked in trouble against Roma. How will the defensive approach change against Atalanta? "Without a doubt, we'll need to be really alert again; we've defended well in recent weeks. The boys will be tested tomorrow and we'll need to suffer as a unit at times throughout the game because we know our opponents well." Inter have the highest percentage of duels won of any side in Europe this season (56%), while Atalanta are on 50%. Does this mean that we should expect a physical encounter? "Absolutely, yes. The facts don't lie. These are two physical teams with a lot of weapons. It'll be a great game tomorrow at a tough ground." Atalanta are the only team in Europe's Top-5 leagues to have conceded a single goal at home this season. Is that added motivation for you? "The game itself offers a lot of motivation but of course, we're aware of this stat. Atalanta haven't conceded many, and none at all at home. They're playing really well in defence but they've always been a team that concedes very little. We'll need to do well in this regard." We've often praised the spirit of this group but in terms of individuals, how much has it surprised you that Marcus Thuram has settled in this quickly? "Marcus has been great. All the boys have been working hard since 13 July; we always think about 'us' and not 'I'. They're working really well together, as a group. Marcus has settled in really nicely thanks to the help he's received from us all and he still has room to get even better. He needs to keep growing at the rate he has been since he got here."