Spalletti: "We want to honour Inter's anniversary in the best way"

APPIANOGENTILE - A day ahead of the match between Inter and SPAL, LucianoSpalletti attended the press conference at the Suning Training Centre on the Club's 111th anniversary. "Again tomorrow, San Siro will be full of fans with over 60,000 in attendance. Our supporters are unique, they’re all top players. Last year, they were convinced until the final day that we could achieve something big and they’re showing us again how much they support us. It would be nice to celebrate 111 years of Inter with a win alongside them. That would be the nicest way to follow today."

The Coach then focused on matters on the pitch. "In Frankfurt, we showed solidity at the back again and we put in a good performance, one that will also help us to regain our energy. However, despite the good performance and the enthusiasm that follows, there’s not been long to prepare for this game so I’ll make changes if needed. There aren’t many games left and every result is vital as we pursue our goals. Could this week be a turning point? I expect the team to adapt to every situation. As we’ve said before, a number of players allow us to always put out the best Inter team and that’s how it will be in the upcoming games. We need to understand what we have to do and where we need to go. At some points this season, we could have done better but we did very well at other points and the team has always shown that is had the desire to move forward. This is the reaction that I expect to see again tomorrow from those on the pitch and those on the bench."

Spalletti also discussed the situations with Lautaro Martinez and Radja Nainggolan: "Lautaro is a card away from suspension so he has to be careful not to get booked and this is a situation we’ve already dealt with. It’s unlikely that Nainggolan will be available for the #DerbyMilano but we’ll evaluate him day by day. We can’t say much more at the moment."

The Nerazzurri boss also discussed the backline: "Skriniar and De Vrij are among the players who I’ve used the most and the defence has often set an example. They’ve made an important contribution and shown their strength and ability to build from the back. When Miranda and Ranocchia have played, the standard has been the same and we’ve also often changed the full-backs. More than in attack, the whole group makes a difference at the back."

Finally, Spalletti responded to questions regarding the situation with Mauro Icardi. "There’s nobody better than Marotta who can deal with this, there are things that need clarifying and with all of his experience, he’ll be able to look after all parties. It’s right that you ask him. For me, time is running down before the end of the season and we need to make the most of the time left to get results so my focus is on matters on the pitch."