Marotta: ‘Inter must be stronger than refereeing errors and handle pressure’
Inter President Beppe Marotta insists the team must be ‘stronger than refereeing errors’ in the Scudetto race and ‘able to handle the pressure’ of the chasing pack.
The Nerazzurri are without a win in four consecutive games between Serie A and the Coppa Italia, and saw their lead at the top of the table closed to just six points from Milan, seven from Napoli.
With eight rounds to go, this opens up the title battle for a tense finale, but their President is not pressing the panic button.
Marotta confident of Inter title chances
“It is a particular moment of the season where we are deservedly six points clear at the top of the table, a result that perhaps nobody could’ve predicted, especially as we are also in the Coppa Italia semi-final,” Marotta told reporters while attending the Lega Serie A meeting.
“I’d say we have achieved two of our three targets so far. We could’ve done better in the Champions League, but one mustn’t forget the opponents at this level are talented and sometimes underrated.”
After losing the Derby della Madonnina, Inter were held to back-to-back 1-1 draws by Atalanta and Fiorentina.
“It is a difficult situation and we are taking some steps back, perhaps due to injuries or fatigue, but that’s inevitable for all teams at this stage of the season. I am not here to seek alibis, but to reaffirm that we’ll battle to the end,” added Marotta.
The word that is used repeatedly in the Italian media to describe the Nerazzurri struggling to win the Scudetto is ‘psychodrama’ in reference to the fear of failure.
“This is definitely not a psychodrama, it is merely a difficult situation, the kind you often get in sport. It was unthinkable that we’d have a six-point advantage with eight rounds to go, it is always easier to be the hunter than the prey.
“We must face this moment of transition with the right attitude and rediscover the path we momentarily strayed from.”
In both the draws against Atalanta and Fiorentina, there were complaints from Inter about potential penalties not awarded to them.
“I read various pundits and experts who said the Marin Pongracic handling offence was a penalty,” insisted Marotta.
“We don’t want to act like victims here, we just want there to be uniformity in refereeing and evaluation, for the good of football as a whole.
“I generally believe that all clubs complain during the season, and overall errors balance each other out. I don’t want this to become an alibi, because this is sport and errors are always around the corner. We must be stronger than the refereeing errors.”
Inter have widely been considered the strongest squad in Italy for several years, yet have only won the Scudetto twice in that time, so can the fear set in again?
“I would hope not. I think the mental aspect is more important now for an athlete than it was in the past, because there is pressure, so the coach and modern player must be able to handle that,” concluded Marotta.