De Boer relieved but future still uncertain
MILAN: Inter Milan coach Frank de Boer said he felt a little more comfortable after his struggling side beat Torino 2-1, although the Dutchman may not be out of the woods yet.
The Gazzetta dello Sport said that the De Boer’s future was still uncertain after a poor start to the season, which has left his side stuck in 10th place in Serie A.
Inter have lost six of their 13 competitive matches since De Boer took over in August and had been beaten in their previous three Serie A games before Wednesday.
“I’m very happy. It’s never easy when you’ve suffered three losses on the bounce, but I’ve always stayed positive,” De Boer said after the match.
Asked if he felt more secure, he replied: “A little.”
De Boer, Inter’s eighth coach since Jose Mourinho left in 2010, said the performance had pleased him as much as the result.
“I’m really proud of what the lads showed, this is the kind of display I want to see. Torino’s only chances came from our mistakes. Other than that, we dominated the game,” he said.
“We need to work hard every day and always play like this.
“It’s important that the players go into games with confidence and discipline. We saw a crucial step forward but I want to see the same attitude against Sampdoria.” Indonesian club president Erick Thohir and Steven Zhang, a director of the club’s owners, Chinese electronic retailers Suning, were both at the match.
“We have to climb back up the table,” Thohir said before the game.
“The season has only just started and we have many matches in front of us.”
He reiterated that Inter’s priority was to end their five-season absence from the Champions League, which would require a top-three finish.