Spalletti unfazed by Inter´s failure to overcome Atalanta

Inter head coach Luciano Spalletti remains bullish despite seeing his side stumble to a third successive game without a goal against Atalanta.

The Nerazzurri laboured to a limp goalless draw in Bergamo on Saturday, further damaging their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

With Lazio and Roma playing each other on Sunday, the game gave Spalletti’s men the chance to jump above both and into third spot.

But a draw left them level with their rivals on 60 points following a third game without a win.

Spalletti was in defiant mood afterwards, though, and is not concerned by his Inter’s failure to break down a stubborn Atalanta outfit, with Ivan Perisic missing several excellent chances. 

“I don’t think it’s a problem that we weren’t able to score against a strong side like Atalanta, but everyone can put whatever spin on it they like,” he told Mediaset Premium.

| Atalanta 0-0 Inter

A goalless draw in Bergamo. #AtalantaInter pic.twitter.com/uu5IEmAhJF

— Inter (@Inter_en) April 14, 2018

“These are the games where you are forced to play in a certain way. We struggled in the first half because our passing wasn’t clean enough and we didn’t put together good moves.

“The only times we did manage an exchange of passes with Mauro Icardi, we managed to create chances.

“We took too long to really start being aggressive and closing the Atalanta players down to win back the ball.

“We had four or five clear-cut scoring opportunities here, were pushing to the end, but admittedly should’ve done better in the first half.”

Defender Miranda was much more brutal in his assessment is demanding more from his team-mates in the coming weeks.

“It’s a terrible draw. We played well, but we really needed to win here,” he said.

“It’s not enough to play well, as at this stage of the season we have to get three points. We’ve all got to work harder, from the defenders to the strikers.

“This simply isn’t enough. In order to get back into the Champions League we need to do more.”