Inter Milan Notes & Quotes: Feb. 20, 2019

Spalletti looks ahead to the 2nd Leg vs Rapid Vienna

The last time Inter’s backs were against the wall needing a result in a European competition against a lesser opponent at home, it failed to meet the goal. This time around Inter lead 1-0 going into the 2nd leg. A win or a draw of any kind puts them through. A 1-0 loss sends the game to extra time and any kind of scoring loss (ie 2-1, 3-2, etc.) would send them packing. Spalletti spoke about the approach for the game at his press conference:

“In the second half, they showed that they have quality. When we tried to push the match in a certain way so that we’d be in a more advantageous situation, they played with more freedom. The result means that they don’t have to think too much about the tactics or what they need to do but they need to come out and play so we must be careful.”

Spalletti also spoke about how he will address the team:

”I look to send messages that everyone will hear, it’s always the team that is in front of you. It’s better to send a message that concerns everyone and that everyone will get and you can see that the team understands these rules. As professionals, we all need to be accountable to someone or something and we realise that we’re accountable to Inter.”

Mauro Icardi left out of squad for Rapid Vienna fixture

This should not be surprising but it is still important. The way the team played this weekend against Sampdoria was eye opening. They played with passion, fire, and desire to show they can win without him. I expect this trend to continue in the next few games before wearing off.

I sense this is similar to a manager being fired and the team gets that extra boost before regressing back to the mean. Icardi will play again this year and with the news reported that he does not have any significant, if any, knee damage means it should be sooner rather than later.

Squad for Europa League:

Goalkeepers: Samir Handanovic, Daniele Padelli, Tommaso Berni;

Defenders: Stefan De Vrij, Andrea Ranocchia, Kwadwo Asamoah, Cedric Soares, Joao Miranda, Danilo D’Ambrosio, Milan Skriniar;

Midfielders: Matias Vecino, Radja Nainggolan, Borja Valero, Ivan Perisic, Marcelo Brozovic;

Forwards: Lautaro Martinez, Matteo Politano, Adorante, Antonio Candreva

What do you think? Post your comments below!