Category: News

MILAN – When Zanetti and Cambasso both start Inter always win. A theory that was put to the captain by Inter Channel after the Nerazzurri beat Fiorentina. "No, it’s just a coincidence… let’s not say things like that or people will start thinking we pick the team again," the skipper grinned. "It was about getting the win tonight and I think we were particularly good in the first period – we could have gone in with our noses further in front. We’re in the mix now though, we’re aware of our strengths and ready to keep battling."

Lots of chances created, few taken, "but that’s part of football," Zanetti observed. He went on: "I don’t think we sat back to defend in the second half; in fact we were looking to get forward at every opportunity. The league table is starting to look the way it should do now and we’ll push on. Milan are next [in Serie A] and they’ll face an Inter side who are really up for it."

MILAN – (Statistics by Football Data) Another notch on the tally stick for Diego Milito against Emiliano Viviano. With his strike this evening, El Principe has now put seven past the former Nerazzurri keeper, making Viviano the Argentine’s joint favourite target (along with Genoa custodian Sebastien Frey) since he arrived in Italy.

Milito’s scoring streak began on 21 November 2009 in Bologna 1-3 Inter. He added another on 15 January 2011 as Inter swept to a 4-1 home success against Bologna in Serie A, then really pulled all the stops out in the 4-4 draw on 1 February 2011, helping himself to no fewer than four goals (the second from the spot). Add in another penalty tonight to open the scoring in Inter v Fiorentina and that makes seven. And still counting.

MILAN – He leaves the Meazza a happy man
tonight, a winner. But before doing so, Andrea Stramaccioni looked back on his team’s triumph as he chatted to Sky Sport Italia: "I think we won this game by chipping away at the
opposition’s confidence. We bossed possession, we were aggressive and
we showed the right mentality with three players up top who were a menace
every time they got on the ball."

Yet as pleased as he was with his side’s display, the coach was aware that there’s always room for improvement: "When you’re playing a direct
rival as we were tonight, you have to put your chances away; it’s just too dangerous to leave the game open and risk dropping points."

So have Inter really hit on the right formation now?
Stramaccioni grinned: "I can assure you that I’ve always believed
in this team, even when we were struggling. I’m not talking so much
about the Roma game but the three points we dropped against Siena.
Still, at least it helped us to reach rock bottom and rise again from there – we understood that we had to work in a different
way. I think I could probably say that tonight’s match was the first one in which we’ve
really played like Inter. We were strong and solid as a group against the best team around at the moment."

Is it perhaps easier to set Inter out as a team without Sneijder?
The coach explained: "In a way it is, in the sense that Wesley has some very specific talents that need to be exploited within the context of a group.
But I don’t think it’s right to only talk about Sneijder."

So are we likely to see a different Inter every Sunday, based
on the opposition? "If I had put Mudingayi on Pizarro then we could
say that I adapted our game to them. Instead I tried to take advantage of a weakness of theirs. When you have so many strings to your bow it’s right that you should use the qualities of each individual. We’ve played loads of games already because we had to go through the Europa League qualifiers, and inevitably I also need to consider Thursday’s trip to Baku and then the derby next Sunday."

MILAN – Inter notched up their first victory at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in 2012/13 as they saw off the challenge of form side Fiorentina to claim a 2-1 win. Diego Milito set the Nerazzurri on their way from the spot on 17 minutes before Antonio Cassano kept a cool head to slot home a second shortly after the half-hour mark. Romulo reduced the deficit for the visitors as the interval approached, but there was still time for Milito to rattle the bar before the half-time whistle. Fernandez was given his marching orders in the 62nd minute after picking up his second yellow for a lunge on Nagatomo.

Inter 2-1 Fiorentina (HT: 2-1)
Scorers: Milito 17 (pen), Cassano 34, Romulo 40.

Inter: 1 Handanovic;
23 Ranocchia, 25 Samuel, 40 Juan Jesus; 4 Zanetti, 21 Gargano, 19
Cambiasso (Mudingayi 82), 55 Nagatomo; 29 Coutinho (Alvarez 71); 99
Cassano, 22 Milito (Guarin 85).
Unused subs:
12 Castellazzi, 27 Belec, 6 Silvestre, 20 Obi, 31 Pereira, 41 Duncan,
42 Jonathan, 44 Bianchetti, 88 Livaja.
Coach:
Andrea Stramaccioni.

Fiorentina: 1 Viviano;
4 Roncaglia, 2 Rodriguez, 40 Tomovic; 11 Cuadrado (Toni 70), 92
Romulo, 7 Pizarro, 20 Borja Valero (Migliaccio 82), 23 Pasqual; 22
Ljajic (Fernandez 46), 8 Jovetic.
Unused subs:
89 Neto, 3 Hegazy, 5 Olivera, 12 Lupatelli, 15 Savic, 16 Cassani, 17
Seferovic, 19 Llama.
Coach: Vincenzo
Montella.

Referee: Antonio Giannoccaro (Lecce).
Booked: Samuel 27, Ranocchia 30, Cambiasso 71, Guarin 90+4; Rodriguez 15 and 62, Fernandez 55, Roncaglia 64, Jovetic 88.
Sent off: Rodriguez 62.
Attendance: 41,082.

MILAN – A buoyant Juan Jesus spoke to Sky Sport Italia after putting in a sturdy display against Fiorentina: "That’s how we want Inter to play. Now we just have to do it more consistently. We needed this first win at home and I must congratulate my team-mates on their performance tonight. Are we better with a three-man defence? Whatever the boss wants is better, he’s the one who trains us. Am I excited about my first derby against Milan? First of all, I have to hope I play…"