Winning to end the season with our heads held high. Difficult to find big ideas on Inter - Udinese, early evening (20.45) of this 35th day, after the defeat of the Nerazzurri in Genoa. A knockout that almost completely closed the doors of the Champions League, the true goal of Corso Vittorio Emanuele since last summer. Sure, math still doesn't authorize us to talk about bankruptcy but recovering 7 points against Roma in just 4 games seems quite unlikely. “Fourth place is a disappointment, the goal was to finish third – confirmed Mancini bluntly. – In any case, the championship ends on May 15th, only that day will we be able to sum up. Udinese are in a good moment, they have nothing left to lose and will play peacefully and serenely. But we want to win and keep the Champions League open." Real belief or attempt to stimulate the group? The second is more probable, although the direct clash between Rome and Naples still leaves some chance to shorten the rankings. But at Inter we are already thinking about the future and not only for the possible entry into the company of the Suning Commerce Group, a Chinese giant about to take over some minority shares from Thohir's package (a delegation arrived yesterday in Appiano and this evening will be in San Siro). Above all, Mancini's imagination is tickled by the transfer market, which has always been a sector in which the coach from Jesi manages to give his best.
“Better to bet on a great champion than on 4 or 5 normal players – his thought. – By now the team has a solid foundation, just need some tweaks. I believe that a couple of expert champions would help all our youngsters to grow definitively". The interventions will concern all departments but with a particular eye on the attack, the real Achilles' heel of this 2016 (apart from Icardi, of course). “Actually, I didn't think we would arrive at the end of April with Jovetic at 4 goals or Ljajic and Palacio at 2 – sighed Mancini. – It's not their fault, they've always worked hard but it's clear that we need to improve. Even from Eder we expected 6 or 7 goals instead he is still at 0 but it must also be said that his shots always go out by a millimeter … ”. Tonight, in an attempt to solve the problem, the Nerazzurri coach will re-propose a rather offensive 4-2-3-1 with Handanovic in goal, D'Ambrosio, Miranda, Murillo and Nagatomo in defence, Brozovic and Kondogbia in midfield, Ljajic, Jovetic and Perisic on the trocar behind the lone striker Icardi. De Canio, quite calm after the victory over Fiorentina (8 points ahead of third last Frosinone), will respond with a 3-5-2 with Karnezis between the posts, Hertaux, Danilo and Wague in the back, Widmer, Badu, Kuzmanovic, Bruno Fernandes and Pasquale in the midfield, Zapata and Thereau in attack.
