Finding victory, whatever the cost. The imperative at Inter is loud and clear, not to say categorical: on the other hand, the defeats against Lazio (Coppa Italia) and Juventus, albeit painful, could also have been there, a misstep at San Siro against Empoli, however, definitely no. The Nerazzurri need points, only in this way can they continue to hope for a difficult Champions League placement (Naples and Rome continue to race) but not impossible (the direct clashes with them will be in Milan). “I saw a team motivated and determined to restart, we know we have all the qualities to win again – explained Pioli on the eve. – We have respect for Empoli but we can't make almost anything wrong, those in front of us can lose points almost only in direct matches. It's useless to hide, if we want to finish third we have to score a lot of points and therefore always lap at the maximum”. That's why today (15 pm) no missteps will be allowed: at stake is the credibility of a team back from two defeats, but also from a string of 9 consecutive victories that cannot be forgotten. Pioli's problem, in addition to the pressure of having to score 3 points at any cost, is related to absences: between suspensions (Perisic and Icardi) and injuries (Brozovic and Banega) very important players will be missing. This is especially true for the attack, which today will be orphaned of two absolute protagonists, which the coach would not have given up for any reason.
The solutions are almost obligatory and are called Eder and Palacio, the most reliable in the light of Gabigol's problems (a real mystery, perhaps the biggest ever considering the 36 million paid to buy him) and Pinamonti's very young age. Pioli's 4-2-3-1 will thus see Handanovic in goal, D'Ambrosio, Medel, Miranda and Ansaldi in defence, Gagliardini and Kondogbia in midfield, Candreva, Joao Mario and Eder in the trocar, Palacio in attack. Absences daughters of the Turin parapiglia, which brought polemical aftermath throughout the week. Both Pioli and Allegri preferred to close the discussion and look beyond, thus proving to be more mature than the various John Elkann and Moratti, always in the front row when it comes to "playing" the Derby d'Italia. But now it's time to think about Empoli, a team not yet saved in the light of Palermo's (small) comeback: that's why Martusciello, although aware of the technical imbalance on the pitch, won't come to San Siro on a trip. The blue coach will try to snatch very heavy (and sensational) points with the usual 4-3-1-2: Skorupski between the posts, Laurini, Cosic, Veseli and Dimarco in the back, Krunic, Diousse and Croce in the midfield, El Kaddouri in the trocar behind the Maccarone-Pucciarelli attack couple.
