Stefan de Vrij spoke to Inter TV in the immediate aftermath of the Nerazzurri’s goalless draw at home to Sassuolo tonight. Here is what the Dutch defender had to say: “We faced a good side tonight who played well. Handanović is an excellent player and saved us on a few occasions. For us, it’s important to have a goalkeeper like him playing behind us. We played well, but a goal and perhaps a bit of ruthlessness were missing from our game. However, they demonstrated that they’re a tough side to play. They are dangerous on the counter and we had to remain alert. Now we have to prepare well for our match against Torino. It was great seeing the children in the stadium – although the atmosphere was different, they made themselves heard.”
Beneamata coach Luciano Spalletti also stopped to discuss the 0-0 stalemate with reporters after the full-time whistle. Indeed, the 59-year-old tactician was frustrated by his side’s lack of creativity in the final third and acknowledged that this is something they must work on in order to become a successful team: “It was a tough night because they played a good game. We couldn’t control the game. Even when we did well to get the ball back, we then lost it again too quickly meaning that we were unable to make the most of the moment and get men over. We needed to do better in those situations before their defence could settle in place. We didn’t have enough quality on the ball and you need that against sides like Sassuolo who run a lot.
“We did better in defence and less well in attack where we should have done more in terms of individual play and in looking to break their lines. They set up a low block as a team around the penalty area and we couldn’t find space. We were overwhelmed by their defensive line and Sassuolo also caused us some problems. In the end, we also ran the risk of losing. However, you always have to look at the glass half full and we need to keep getting results to avoid running the risk of other teams catching us up. We need to keep working and improving, we also want to do well in the Europa League and the Coppa Italia in order to consolidate our status.”
Spalletti also commented on all the children in attendance at San Siro as part of the club’s Brothers Universally United (BUU) campaign: “It was wonderful to feel their enthusiasm. It really was a party in the stands.” One can but hope that Inter’s lack of potency in attack did nothing to dissuade the 11,000 youngsters from returning to the stadium to watch their beloved team again in the near future.
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