Mancini drops AdrianoFriday 15 September, 2006Roberto Mancini has hinted that Adriano will be benched again for Saturday’s clash with Sampdoria following Inter’s loss in Lisbon.
The tactician had suggested that Hernan Crespo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic forge a more reliable partnership and it looks as if L’Imperatore will be dropped for the second consecutive Serie A tie.
“I think this is the best possible solution, seeing the physical condition of all my players,†said the former Lazio and Sampdoria man.
“As for Adriano, I do for him exactly what I do for all the other players in my side. I am trying to help him return to top form as soon as possible. I don’t think it’s fair to say that he is the only one responsible for the Lisbon defeat.â€
Adriano was again disappointing in Portugal and was replaced by Hernan Crespo in the closing stages of that 1-0 loss.
The Brazilian hasn't scored a Serie A goal for the Nerazzurri since their last meeting with Sampdoria on March 11.
“We have a match every three days and we are therefore forced to change something every time, to give all players a chance to rest.â€
The Nerazzurri suffered a surprise defeat away to Sporting Lisbon in their Champions League debut and were strongly criticised by President Massimo Moratti, who said the team had “no excuses†for the loss.
“We are over the Lisbon defeat. We didn't play a great game, but we shouldn’t have lost,†said Mancio.
“We didn't do much to win and were probably still tired after the game in Florence. We have five more matches in this phase and I am sure we can still qualify,†added the Coach.
Mancini does not intend to review his tactics for the match with Sampdoria and confirms that he always fields a 4-4-2 formation.
“We always play that way, the men are always the same. Most of the times we play with a four-man midfield line, but we sometimes use a diamond formation to give players like Luis Figo the chance to better express themselves.â€
Football Italia