Inter coach Luciano Spalletti singled out Radja Nainggolan for his stellar performance and goal in the Nerazzurri’s 2-1 victory over PSV on Wednesday.
The Italian giants fell behind to a Pablo Rosario strike, but goals from the Belgian before the break and Mauro Icardi in the 60th minute means the Nerazzurri sit with six points from two matches.
Nainggolan delivered an all-action performance that was capped off by his powerful finish, and Spalletti believes he’s back to being the player every one knows after being hampered by injuries to start the season.
“If you give PSV space, they are very physical and great at heading, which is why we picked our moment to drop deep and take away their time by pressing,” he told Sky Sport Italia.
“I have to compliment Nainggolan because I saw him back at his best. He’s had a few injuries which have hurt him.
“[Matteo] Politano also did well as he tried to get after the opponent, while [Marcelo] Brozovic and [Matias] Vecino were ok.
“They could have tried to play the ball more rather than pass it back, which cut out three to four players and wasted our numerical advantage.”
Icardi netted his second goal in the Champions League and could have had more if not for some Jeroen Zoet saves, but Spalletti wasn’t bothered by his striker’s lack of finishing.
“Mauro has very precise characteristics,” he stated. “In terms of finishing, he has no weak spots. He is perfect.
“Sometimes, like in the second half, he must drop deeper like he did at the end of the game to help us with danger. When he wants to, he knows how to be taller and bigger than what he is. He must do that more often.
“As for the penalty area, he is an animal.”
Inter’s next Champions League match is away to Barcelona, who defeated Tottenham 4-2, on October 24.
