Cristian Chivu lost his voice, so Inter assistant Aleksandar Kolarov insisted they ‘trying to be more aggressive’ after a 3-1 comeback win in Bologna, even if it didn’t work in Europe.
The Nerazzurri do not make life easy for themselves, as once again they went behind in Serie A, this time to a Tommaso Pobega goal at the Stadio Dall’Ara.
They fought back, Marcus Thuram equalising on the stroke of half-time, then substitutes making the difference off the bench with Carlos Augusto and Ange-Yoan Bonny turning it all around for a 3-1 victory.
Inter assistant Kolarov steps up
Chivu lost his voice on the touchline, so assistant Kolarov went to give the media interviews.
“Our approach was not that bad today, but Bologna have fresher legs than we do,” Kolarov told DAZN Italia.
“We don’t take that as an excuse, though, Bologna had a really good first half performance. We struggled to get the second ball, they were more aggressive, but the lads believed in themselves and we dominated after the break.”
Substitute Carlos Augusto was named Serie A Man of the Match thanks to a goal and an assist.
“Carlos Augusto has never got a training session wrong, he is very important for us and I am happy for him. We didn’t need this award to know what he can do.”
This was a much-needed booster considering Inter were still smarting from that shock 4-3 home defeat to Club Brugge in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.
That left them with zero points after two matches in the tournament, having also lost 2-1 away to Real Madrid, so the upcoming encounter with Shakhtar Donetsk at San Siro on Wednesday is must-win.
“You need an extra gear in the Champions League, so we want to be more aggressive, both in attacking and when winning back the ball,” continued Kolarov.
“It is true that we are having a few problems, but we are also aware of our capabilities and have the time to make up for those dropped points. We are trying to be more aggressive in Europe than last season.”
Inter crashed out early in the Champions League last season in the play-offs to Bodo/Glimt, but before that had reached two Finals in three years.
“We don’t have anything to prove to anyone, other than to ourselves. We want to be more intense, both on and off the ball. In the second half today, in Madrid, and in the first 50 minutes against Club Brugge, we were intense with the ball at our feet.
“That is not to be taken for granted, we’ve got to set the tempo starting from the defenders.”
