Farris: "We just needed that spark to rediscover the Inter that we know"

MILAN – Inter turned in a five-star display to put Salernitana to the sword in the first fixture of Week 28 in Serie A. Lautaro Martinez’s hat-trick and Edin Dzeko’s brace fired the Nerazzurri to a 5-0 triumph that takes the team to the top of the table.

Assistant coach Massimiliano Farris discussed the team’s performance in place of coach Simone Inzaghi for a very good reason: “Simone sends his best regards, but unfortunately he’s lost his voice tonight.

“We weren’t worried and we expected this type of reaction because we see the lads train every day and during this period of a slight dip compared with how we did in the first half of the season and the stress in recent times with so many games close together, we just needed a spark to get everything going again.

“Salernitana have been better defensively recently, but we prepared for the game well and focused on making the most of space and progressing down the wings. Seeing Lautaro [Martinez] and [Edin] Dzeko enjoy their football was huge for us because they only make the news when they don’t score.

“The tiredness was probably mental because we analyse the stats after every game and there was no evidence of a physical drop. This win probably dispels some of the doubts that other people have had, but we’ve never doubted the strength of our players. We’ve put faith in the strength of this squad and we finally rediscovered the Inter that we know tonight.

“These players have a real sense of togetherness. We’re a team that needs to play on the front foot and be in control of the ball to make the most of the players’ mobility. That’s how we’ve gone back to basics.”