Frosinone, Di Francesco: “We must not go to Milan thinking we are already beaten”

The Giallazzurri coach spoke at a press conference two days before the match against Inter

Frosinone are guests of league leaders Inter on Sunday at 8.45pm, fresh from their Champions League success in Salzburg. After the victory against Empoli, coach Eusebio Di Francesco presented the match at San Siro in this way at the press conference: “I believe that to be able to compete with Inter you have to overcome yourself. Inter is a battleship that has many weapons at its disposal. What scares us most about Inter is their awareness. To compete with Inter you have to put in double what we have. It will be a difficult match but we will still have to go there and play with enthusiasm. Dynamic 3-4-3? I don’t know about that, I have to think about it. We have to prepare a careful match, we will choose the best situation for a difficult match. We must always rely on enthusiasm. I can’t say from a tactical point of view how we will face it because I haven’t decided yet and because I don’t want to give too many advantages to Frosinone. What if I want to compete with nine players born after 2000 by inserting Oyono? I don’t think to put so many young people together. To put them all together I should perhaps put someone in a double role. With Oyono it could be but it doesn’t matter how many young people we bring in, it matters how we approach the match.”

“How can you stop someone like Lautaro Martinez? We can’t have tactical measures just for one player – continues the coach of the yellow and blues -. We face a very strong team, Lautaro is certainly doing very well but so are Calhanoglu, Thuram and many others. We have to face the match with great attention and great enthusiasm, aware that the differences exist from all points of view. How can my players impact a stadium like San Siro? Someone like Soulé for example… He shouldn’t feel the pressure because he is one of the matches that he will play in a full stadium because he is talented. It is a match in which by putting on the pitch what he puts in training he will be able to get satisfaction at the San Siro too. I don’t like the concept that we have nothing to lose because we have to try to bring home of satisfaction. Going to Milan starting already beaten is a thought that we shouldn’t have, then the pitch will show its values. There must be a healthy recklessness to think of getting a result against a very strong team like Inter at San Siro. Even the players themselves say it, their awareness has grown. In the face of so much awareness we must show a healthy unconsciousness. How is Gelli? I saw that he still has a lot of work to do, he is back in the group and will be called up but he will have to work to get back up to speed and the break will help us with this.”

“At what point will I be satisfied? After 38 matches and with 40 points – explains Di Francesco – because the objective is salvation. Today our thoughts turn to San Siro and Inter. Having a good average in the first round will certainly it’s a good thing but I think match after match. Did I expect Inzaghi to become an important coach? He was good at waiting and taking advantage of the opportunity he had at Lazio. I know him and his family well, I know he’s a boy who has built himself on the street and was good at exploiting the opportunities. It is usually said that attackers cannot be good coaches and this is not the case. What did I tell the boys about the environment at San Siro? I always tell the boys to put on the ‘plugs in the ears’. I said that we will face an important match against a strong team but this doesn’t mean just standing there to defend. How important is it to have someone like Soulé? How important is it to let them play, we need to valorise these guys. Dribbling it should be left to those who have the qualities to do it. They should only be taught where and when to do it, but those who have those characteristics must be left free to do it.”

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