MY ACCOUNT
Inter assistant Massimiliano Farris praised his team’s mentality and fitness levels after they came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw at title rivals Napoli.
Nerazzurri coach Simone Inzaghi served a touchline ban in Naples after both he and defender Alessandro Bastoni were shown red cards in the aftermath of the defending champions’ 2-1 derby defeat to Milan last week.
Lorenzo Insigne’s first-half penalty gave Napoli a deserved half-time lead and left Inter staring at consecutive defeats to their main Scudetto rivals, but Edin Dzeko’s equalising goal ensured the visitors escaped Naples with a point.
And Farris was pleased with how they responded to going behind.
“The second-half performance says a great deal about the quality of this squad,” he told DAZN in the aftermath of the stalemate.
“We had some regrets at half-time, but in the second half [we] showed a great reaction and mental strength in a fiery atmosphere.
“We smothered Napoli’s enthusiasm and we could’ve won it at the end, but we’re content with a point here.”
Inter managed just three shots worth a mere 0.17 combined expected goals before the break, but an improved second half display ensured the Nerazzurri earned a valuable draw, and they have now won 17 points from losing positions in Serie A this season, more than any other team in the division.
Farris, who accompanied Inzaghi during his five-year stint as Lazio boss before joining him at San Siro, put Inter’s ability to rescue points from difficult situations down to their fitness levels.
“Napoli changed tactics to a [back] five and that was a sign of them backing off, [but] we still had fuel in the tank, despite coming off the derby and a Coppa Italia match, whereas Napoli had all week to prepare for this game,” he said.
“The team was controlling the situation well [in the second half]. It’s all a positive sign.”
Despite seeing their 440-minute stretch without conceding an away goal in Serie A come to an end, Inter maintained their one-point lead over Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli at the Serie A summit with the draw, although cross-city rivals Milan could leapfrog the Nerazzurri by beating Sampdoria on Sunday.
