Inter coach Walter Mazzarri praised
"world-class" Walter Samuel after his header gave them a 1-0 win over
Sassuolo.
The Argentinian veteran made the telling contribution
just after half-time with his first goal of the season, when he powered in a
header that flew past Gianluca Pegolo.
That was enough to see Inter end a poor run of form that
had seen them go winless in 2014, and Mazzarri was thankful to the experienced
defender.
"Samuel? We've got world-class players up top and at
the back, he's one of them, he's won everything. We needed a leader like him
back there," the Inter coach told Sky Sport Italia.
"Obviously injuries and age have an effect, but the
rest of the squad ought to watch and learn from the determination of
Samuel."
Mazzarri chose to start with Diego Milito up front and he
endured a frustrating game in search of his first goal since September.
The forward had two good chances saved by Pegolo in the
first half, but Mazzarri put his inability to score down to bad luck.
He added: "Milito is such an important and intelligent
player. He was unlucky with the chances, as one bounced right in front of him
and another would've gone it were it not for a deflection, while Pegolo
performed crucial saves.
"I'm sure he can only get better with more match
fitness."
The victory was only Inter's second in their last 10
league games but it was still enough to move them into fifth in the table, and
Mazzarri was pleased with the overall performance.
"We played well, it was tough and we know in Italy
all opponents prepare tactically so they are balanced encounters," he
said.
"We took a while to break the deadlock, which was
rather familiar, but let's say we finally broke the spell.
"Both Hernanes and Fredy Guarin did well, though
clearly they need to improve their fitness levels and can only get that with
regular playing. You could tell Hernanes felt the tension of his debut."
Culled from Soccerway
