Inter coach Walter Mazzarri feels that there’s no reason to make any changes to his current squad for their match against Fiorentina, as they’ve been doing just fine so far.
Both sides will be going into Thursday’s match at the San Siro with three wins and one draw under their belts, though the Viola are missing star striker Mario Gomez, while the Nerazzurri now have Diego Milito back in the line up.
Mazzarri spoke during a press conference about his upcoming opponents and praised Gigliati forward Giuseppe Rossi.
“This is another step in our growth process, the one I’ve been talking about since I arrived,” said the former Napoli tactician.
“Fiorentina have different characteristics to our recent opponents Juventus and Sassuolo, so it will be yet another test to see if we have the right attitude.
“Specifically, I’ll say Fiorentina give no tactical reference points and without Mario Gomez it’s difficult to see where they’re coming from. Everyone moves off the ball, there’s a lot of possession and they have a different approach to the sides we’ve faced so far.
“I always liked Giuseppe Rossi and wanted him in my team. They did well to invest in him when he was injured. He is decisive and a great buy, a real champion.”
The 53-year-old used to coach Viola boss Vincenzo Montella at Sampdoria and admitted that he admires the former striker’s character.
“I had figured out he had real character, as he didn’t want to sit on the bench,” he continued.
“He’s a good lad and I started to figure out even then he wanted to be a coach, especially when he came to me afterwards to study training sessions.”
The Inter boss then commented on the condition of some of the players in his squad and conceded that he’s content with the team’s current direction.
“Diego [Milito] knows he hasn’t got 90 minutes in his legs and his re-introduction into the squad must be gradual,” he went on.
“We all know his quality, but we can’t lose our balance and that means everyone working hard.
“This is the least likely game to perform experiments in, so for the moment the XI we’ve used recently are the ones giving us the most guarantees. I don’t see why I should change.
“Of all the players, Wallace is the one who most needs to improve and he has to see what he can do.
“I put him on when the result is practically secure. It’s a shame we only have three substitutions, as I don’t get as much opportunity to play everyone.
“You play football with 11 men on the pitch at any one time, so who am I supposed to leave out after they have done so well? There’s no reason to change and the players know that. They can see the situation for themselves.
“I spoke to Ricky [Alvarez], he needs to work under the radar, as in the world of football people change their opinions of you so quickly.
“Everyone knows I like this player and when there were rumours of his sale I immediately said I first wanted to see him up close. I am happy with the whole squad, as I honestly didn’t expect such a strong start.”
