Ranieri Post Match Reaction: “It hurts to go home empty-handed”

“Before the game we said that we had to get some points, and we were on our way to doing that so it hurts to be going home empty-handed,” began Claudio Ranieri after the Catania v Inter match.

“We were compact, solid, excellent in the first half but in the second we let them hit us on the break twice, which we shouldn’t have. We needed to remain tighter together like in the first half but we weren’t able to do that. Things aren’t going for us at the moment. We saw that when Catania pushed up we struggled, then their equaliser made us lose our shape, it shook us up. We wanted to get straight back at them but we lost our shape. We knew Catania would be aggressive after the break, we spoke about it in the dressing room. I’ll have a word with the lads to try and find out if it’s a problem of mentality, confidence or form,” added the coach.

“Now we have to stick together and keep working. No one is happy, we have to respond and get ourselves back up there. The lads are as upset as I am. We need to improve athletically and tactically. And get some of our injured players back. Unfortunately Samuel got injured today as well. Will he make it for Lille? I don’t know but with the match in three days time and given the way he hobbled off… We’ll find out after the tests tomorrow.”

Ranieri was also asked to comment on the penalty awarded to Catania by Orsato: “I don’t know how much contact there is or how much the Catania player is already falling. We aren’t getting the rub of the green at the moment. It’s not a scandal that the referee gave a penalty because it’s difficult to see that the keeper had pulled his hands away and the boy was already on his way to the ground. Overall the referee managed the game well.”