APPIANO GENTILE – Walter Mazzarri gave an exclusive interview to Rai Sport’s Thomas Villa the day before Inter’s Coppa Italia meeting with Udinese.

The Nerazzurri boss began by looking back on Monday’s defeat to Lazio: "Was it our worst performance of the season? It might have been from an aesthetic point of view but when you analyse games you have to look at the other team as well and the tactical approach they took throughout the match. Obviously if one side sits back and waits then it’s going to be difficult. In many ways I disagree with that but then again it’s the result that counts in Italy. It’s our third defeat of the year and it’s the most galling because we had every chance of winning it. But we need to put it behind us now and turn our attentions to tomorrow’s game."

Mazzarri then discussed Inter’s transfer business in the January window: "For a start, the transfer window has barely opened. Then, as I’ve said before, we’re a work in progress here because we have players who aren’t featuring much and deserve to be playing more elsewhere. We should aim first of all to use this transfer window to adjust the number of players we have in this squad so that we can train well, with others going out to get some experience under their belts or so that their value can increase. That’s the sort of choice we need to make. People need to know what’s going on. There are players here who have come back from injury and have played less. You know that the starting 11 has been much the same all along and that’s why, to avoid wasting our resources, ideally you’d have just the players you need for the league and the Coppa Italia, which is very important to us."

The coach was also asked about the possibility of playing with two strikers, a suggestion that has often been put to him in recent months. He said: "After Monday’s game I was told that the defence had conceded a goal but that we need to play with two strikers. Let’s remember that when we had two strikers on the pitch we conceded and we didn’t score. Playing with one striker, until very recently, we had the best attack in Serie A. What matters to me is that my team scores one more than the opposition. People should have noticed that even if I’d wanted to play with two strikers, I’ve very rarely had that option available to me. I can also tell you that Icardi has had another setback following his operation and won’t be fit to play tomorrow."

MILAN – 9 January 1938 is a day to remember in
Nerazzurri history. In the Serie A’s Week 15 match, Ambrosiana Inter crushed
Bari by a score line of 9-2, thanks to a 5-goal performance from Giuseppe
Meazza: still today he stands as one of the club’s record-holders for the most
goals scored in a single match.

The record was later equalled by Antonio Valentin Angelillo in Inter 8-0 Spal on
12 October 1958, and Romano Penzo in Inter 9-1 Genoa on 23 December 1945.

Source: FootballData