DE BOER: "OUR MENTALITY MUST CHANGE"
Frank de Boer admitted his side were not up to par as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Sampdoria on Sunday night.
"We didn't play the way we needed to in the first half", said De Boer after the final whistle. "We improved a lot in the second half but we can't keep starting like this. It's a question of mentality and I can't accept it because we have quality in this team. I didn't see us with the character and confidence we needed to win the duels. Lots of the players didn't play to their best tonight. I was angry at half time. We have to play football when we have the ball and we did that in the second half, but not in the first. We were like another team after the break".
Despite the defeat, De Boer spoke bullishly about his belief in the team: "I still have confidence in the group because the problem is a psychological one and I'm sure that we can come through this tough period. We perform well in snatches, but we need to maintain the same attitude for the full 90 minutes".
The Inter boss also moved to bat away any controversy surrounding Eder's reaction to being substituted late on at Marassi: "He did nothing wrong, but he has played a lot recently and it was normal for me to want to send on some fresh legs. He's a player that gives 100% and wants to win every game. In my eyes there is no problem".
It was a frustrating evening for Ever Banega, but De Boer insisted that the Argentine could produce his best football in that attacking midfield position: "He's capable of doing very well in that position and he showed that against Torino. The midfield really improved in the second half, as the whole team did".
Finally, De Boer reiterated that Gabriel Barbosa was not yet ready for first-team action: "As I've said, he's not ready yet but his time will come".
(Photo LaPresse)
