surprise, Mancini didn't use his "we don't deserve to lose" template.
source = channel4.com
Fabio Capello and Roberto Mancini have both singled out the Juventus team spirit as the key to tonight’s victory.
“The final result is what’s important, but tonight we proved that we can match quality with a great temperament and character,” said the Juve Coach after the 2-0 win over Inter. “We were consistently determined all over the pitch and really wanted this win.”
Both goals in the Derby d’Italia came from set-pieces, scored by David Trezeguet and Pavel Nedved in the first half.
“We have two strong strikers who can hold up the ball and cause problems for their defenders, so we tried to make the most of that by earning free kicks. I was pleased with the concentration and humility shown by my side, as they allowed Inter very little and showed a great team spirit.”
Juventus have become the first Serie A side since the three points for a win rule was introduced to maintain a 100 per cent record after six games.
There was bad news for the Bianconeri, as all three substitutions were forced by injuries to Lilian Thuram, Trezeguet and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede was hacked down by a vicious Marco Materazzi challenge and Inter were fortunate to maintain 11 men on the field.
“Thuram was a doubt anyway and felt his condition worsen, so he was replaced as a precautionary measure. As for Materazzi’s foul on Ibrahimovic, the video images need no comment. I don’t want to launch accusations at anyone.”
The midfield was the key element in this victory and Patrick Vieira is taking on an increasingly important role.
“Vieira is a great player who can create play as well as break it up, but Emerson, Mauro Camoranesi and Nedved did the same job in midfield tonight,” noted Capello. “Gianluca Zambrotta started his career as a forward, but has become a fantastic defender and I’ve not found anyone who can beat him in a one-on-one. He’s fairly unique in that left-back position.”
Nerazzurri boss Mancini echoed Capello’s analysis of what won Juventus the Derby d’Italia.
“I think that Juve had that extra desire and aggression in the first half that we didn’t, which is disappointing,” said the Inter Coach. “Their pressure on our midfield stopped the service reaching our strikers.”
The visitors fought back after the break and brought some saves out of Christian Abbiati, but even with four strikers on the field couldn’t find a way back into the game.
“The players understood that their mental approach was the wrong one and tried to change that in the second half. Had we scored a goal, then it would’ve turned into a very different game, but we were unlucky with our finishing.”
Inter are now six points adrift of leaders Juventus and behind Milan and Fiorentina, who are tied together in third place.
“It’s not a disaster, as there are another 32 games to play, but we need to find that desire to dominate when it comes to big games like this.”