NOT GREAT PREPARATION

Italian clubs have so far not been good in the latest pre-season matches, but Inter Milan manager Walter Mazzarri is not worried about this trend. He is confident that Italian football, which is on the rise in the last few years, will be able to show the quality once the actual season starts. After struggling for most of last season, Inter Milan decided to appoint Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri. Even after the arrival of Mazzarri, Inter have struggled. They were recently beaten 4-0 by Valencia in a friendly match, but they were not the only Italian team to suffer a defeat in a pre-season match.

Juventus were defeated 3-1 to Everton, while Mazzarri’s former club Napoli was also beaten 3-1 by Porto. Mazzarri has said that the defeats are as a result of the different type of preparation that is adopted by Italian coaches. He has said that it is a trade-off between looking good in a friendly match and performing well in the actual season. Mazzarri has revealed that he is now looking to get his team working hard than ever before, and it is something he believes will pay off in the season. Despite these statements, Mazzarri also conceded that the 4-0 defeat does not look nice.

“The losses probably occurred because we coaches from the Italian League know what kind of preparation it requires. Our preparation is all based on work for the League and the work will pay off. In Italy we’re forced to work in this way. You have to choose whether you want to come off looking good in these important friendlies or if you want to work very little. Right now I favour hard work and I’m looking ahead,” said the former Napoli manager to the official site of Inter Milan, who finished ninth in the table last season.