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The Special One blamed injuries and suspensions for the 1-1 draw against Cagliari tonight. He also praised Robert Acquafresca, admonished Mario Balotelli and touched upon the upcoming Champions League tie with Manchester United...
Following the surprise 1-1 draw at home against Cagliari in Inter's first match of the new year, coach Jose Mourinho admitted that his side aren't going through a very good period, having also beaten Siena just before the Christmas break only thanks to an offside goal.
"Tonight we suffered from the absence of a couple of players, which disrupted the team's balance," he said, referring to the suspended Maicon and the injured Dejan Stankovic.
"People say that these problems shouldn't exist for a team as large as Inter's but sometimes missing only one player can make a difference."
The coach then went on to analyse the match: "We didn't do well in the first half, but in the second half we improved and we were playing our best football when Cagliari opened the score.
"But they always threatened on the counter-attack, and they played with great intensity, which caused us problems because we are not the quickest team in the world. We are more at ease when we are able to set the tempo."
The fans might be getting worried Inter will not be up to the task in the upcoming Champions League tie against Manchester United, if the team's last couple of performances are anything to go by.
"Considering how we played today, no, we are not good enough to beat United, or anyone else," Mourinho added. "The important thing in the Champions League, however, is getting to the matches with all your players in good form.
"Referees help United? I've played at Old Trafford a few times, and also won a few times, but I never saw anything strange. It is normal for a referee to feel under pressure when there's an atmosphere like that with 80,000 people in the stands."
The coach also talked about goalscorer Robert Acquafresca, who scored the opening goal tonight and is part-owned by Inter.
"I like Acquafresca, tonight he played well, created us problems, and even scored. I can't say whether he will play with us next season, but I can say he has a great future, even in this team," he commented.
Mourinho concluded by talking about striker Mario Balotelli, who was once again left out of the squad for this match: "He is a nice lad, he isn't lazy, but he doesn't show the right attitude during training either. He has to change his approach, and realise he is at a great club where there are many talented players, and the job of the coach is to give chances to those who deserve it."
