The Rossoblu boss was impressed by the hunger shown by his side against Walter Mazzarri’s men and also sought to clarify earlier comments he made during the week
Gian Piero Gasperini lauded the desire of his Genoa side as they beat Inter 1-0 at a rain-soaked Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
In a match affected by poor weather conditions, Luca Antonelli struck late on for the home side to ensure the Rossoblu recorded their first win over the Nerazzurri since 1994.
And Gasperini, who was in charge of Inter for a few months in 2011, was left revelling in his side’s performance at the full-time whistle after recording a famous win over his old side.
“It was a good game in tough conditions, as there was so much water,” he told Sky Sport Italia following his first victory against his former employers.
“Inter are a physical side, but Genoa really did well and played with intensity, and this victory means a lot to us.
“Without doubt the stadium and these fans help the team and give us something more, especially when we play with this hunger.
“I think at the end of the day we were on a par with Inter throughout and had our good chances to score, as did they. As the conditions got worse, we both had to sort of throw the ball into the box and hope for the best.
“I believe our desire to win was decisive.”
A number of scathing quotes attributed to Gasperini had appeared throughout the week in Italy, suggesting the Genoa boss felt Inter’s recent success was down purely to the outcome of the Calciopoli scandal of 2006.
However the 55-year-old sought to clarify his opinions on the subject and insisted he retained the utmost respect for the club he coached briefly between June and September 2011.
“Even if I wasn’t there for long, I maintained a rapport of great respect and admiration with the Inter players,” he said. “I have always tried to push forward and continue to respect them.
“I was asked about difficulties coaches had at Inter and I said in the last 15 years or so the only ones who have done well there are Roberto Mancini and Jose Mourinho.
“I don’t think it is offensive as, other than them, great players, great coaches, mediocre player and mediocre coaches – all seemed to make no difference.
“The only time any coach managed to really do something good at Inter was straight after 2006. I’m sorry if they got angry, but there were many really nasty things said that wasn’t to do with Calciopoli.”