Football
ESPN staff 6y

Luciano Spalletti: Inter show 'weak character' when down

Luciano Spalletti said he's not seeing much imporovement in his Inter Milan side, who a "weak character" when things aren't going their way.

Inter struggled to a 1-1 draw with Crotone on Saturday, extending their winless streak to eight games in Serie A.

They've tumbled off the top of the table down to fourth, and Spalletti says he doesn't see Inter gaining ground on the leaders very soon.

"Clearly a little worry does set in, because we don't see many improvements even after changes," he said. "We can't just throw our hats in the air, we must work to find some certainties through daily training that can give us a clear idea how to progress.

"Evidently, there are some difficulties, because after all this time we've not won a game and can't play in fluid fashion either.

"We have all dipped a little in form in many different ways. The equaliser was a lucky ricochet, but in attack we are not precise or determined enough to win individual duels or push through a move. We're below par in more or less every area.

"A few of the players who can make the difference and give that extra quality are a little below par. At the end of the day, it depends on what we do on a daily basis and every day we do well in training, but during the match situation we lack the confidence to get the result.

"Once something goes wrong, we lose confidence and seem to have a weak character. We return to having the fears of what was in the past.

"There is no other path, we have to approach it logically and try to add something more that can set a clearer objective for us to aim at."

Former Inter goalkeeper Walter Zenga retured to the San Siro to earn a point as Crotone boss, and he said he felt like he was "home" when he saw banners of support from Inter fans.

"It's never easy for me to come here and it feels as if my life goes flashing through my mind, all the history here. It's tough," he said.

"I was born in Inter and went up through the youth academy. I was born Interista. It's easier to have a strong rapport with a club like that. I think the fans appreciate those who work hard, give their all and love the jersey."

But he declined to offer his opinion on Inter's current woes, adding: "Luciano Spalletti is a great coach and the right coach for Inter, so he'll talk about Inter and I won't."

^ Back to Top ^