Zaccheroni's start

Inter Milan's new coach believes in improvements

He may have been in charge for less than a week but Inter Milan coach Alberto Zaccheroni already believes his side are showing signs of improvement.
A goalless draw at home to AS Roma last Sunday may have left Inter nine points adrift of Serie A leaders AC Milan and Juventus but the performance contained enough positive signals to prompt some optimism from the new Inter coach. Zaccheroni took over at Inter last week following the sacking of Argentine coach Hector Cuper.
He only had three days to work with the players but in those days Zaccheroni believes the team followed his instructions as was evident in last weekend's goalless draw against AS Roma.
"We have started off well - we pushed on at them and we didn't give them much space. Roma arrived as the in-form team of the moment but they only really managed a couple of counter-attacks," said the Inter coach.
In training, the former Milan coach said he had focused on increasing Inter's ability to close down the opposition.
"It is a start but we need to wait to get the consistency we need. The players understood what I had asked them to do. I put some players into different positions than they were used to and that involved some risks, especially against a team like Roma but they did well and ran the game for long stretches," he added.
Before the game Inter fans had protested against the team's poor performances - they are without a win in five Serie A outings and lost 3-0 to Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League last week.
But Zaccheroni said the angry reception that greeted the team bus and some of the banners in the stands had not spoilt his debut on the Inter bench.
"For me the debut began on the pitch and that is what I focus upon," he said. "I have an important squad and it's up to me to make it perform to its best. Now we have to try and reduce the gap in the table as soon as possible."
Inter will have a chance to make up some of the lost ground this weekend as Milan and Juventus meet at the San Siro while Zaccheroni's side travel to Chievo Verona.
In the meantime, Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti, the target of criticism from disillusioned fans of the Serie A club, says he is disappointed by the reaction of the club's supporters.
Moratti attended Inter's game against Roma, but left before the kick-off, following protests from Inter supporters who greeted the team bus with jeers and whistles.
Inside the ground fans held up banners with slogans such as 'Cuper for President', 'No more alibis' and 'Moratti sack yourself'.
"Inter has a tradition of different kinds of fans. I pay attention to these indications and I respect them. I will take last weekend's attack into consideration," said Moratti in comments reported on the club's official website.
"I don't feel wounded but disappointed. I will stop and reflect. If there is a certain step to take I will do so. If I have to be tough then I will be," the Inter president added.
Moratti has been president of Inter since 1995 - a period in which the club has won just one major trophy, the UEFA Cup in 1998, and has been unable to end its 14-year wait for an Italian league title.
An emotional character, Moratti has offered his resignation in the past but has eventually carried on in the role his father occupied with much greater success in the 1960s when Inter won two European Cups.
Although fan protests are nothing new at Inter, Moratti himself was the main target last weekend rather than a coach or the players. But the players were not spared either with strikers Alvaro Recoba and Christian Vieri both jeered.
"They aren't two players to attack but to fire up," said Moratti. "However, it's right to make everybody feel responsible".
While Inter are struggling to regain their past glory, AC Milan and Juventus opened up a four-point gap at the top of Serie A with comfortable wins over Brescia and Sampdoria.
Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon saved an early Roberto Baggio penalty but midfielder Pavel Nedved and striker David Trezeguet struck for the Italian champions before halftime in Turin to guide them to a 2-0 win.
Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko's seventh and eighth goals of the season helped wrap up a 3-0 win for Milan at promoted Sampdoria after his Danish strike partner Jon Dahl Tomasson had given them the lead just before the interval. AC Milan and Juve have 19 points, while Roma follow them on 15 points.
Internazionale's goalless draw at home against Roma leaves Inter trailing the leaders by nine points, Zaccheroni, and perhaps the supporters, will take heart from a battling display that could easily have ended in victory.
Deep into injury time Inter striker Christian Vieri struck the post from two metres and Inter had an effort from substitute Julio Ricardo Cruz disallowed in the 77th minute for handball.
But until the final 20 minutes Roma had created the clearer chances in what was, for long stretches, a scrappy game.
Francesco Totti forced a good save out of Francesco Toldo on the half hour and after the break Francisco Lima and Daniele De Rossi were also off target from good positions.
Brescia, with one win in their previous six matches, began as underdogs at Turin's Stadio delle Alpi but earned a penalty in the fourth minute when Juventus defender Ciro Ferrara barged striker Andrea Caracciolo.
Ex-Juve striker Baggio stepped up but his effort was saved and two minutes later the home side had taken the lead.
Winger Gianluca Zambrotta dashed down the left and cut the ball across the area for midfielder Nedved to spin and beat goalkeeper Sebastian Saja with a right-footed shot.
Juve completed the victory just before halftime when Mauro Camoranesi crossed from the right and French international striker Trezeguet headed into the net.
Juve's chief Serie A challengers, AC Milan, also enjoyed an easy win against promoted Sampdoria, despite starting without injured striker Filippo Inzaghi.
Sampdoria's Francesco Antonioli did well to parry a long-range effort by Milan's Rui Costa in the early stages but the former AS Roma keeper mistimed a run out of goal in the 38th minute to gift the ball to Milan defender Dario Simic.
Simic picked out Tomasson and the Danish international slid the ball into the empty net. In the 59th minute Shevchenko produced a cool left-footed finish after Brazilian midfielder Serginho used his speed to open up Sampdoria's defence on the left. The Ukrainian then headed his second goal in the final seconds.
Shevchenko consolidated his position as Serie A's top marksman this season. Parma's Brazilian striker Adriano, who scored in his side's 3-0 victory over Modena, has seven goals.
Elsewhere, fifth-placed Lazio won 2-1 after a frantic final 10 minutes against Bologna. After a goalless first half Lazio coach Roberto Mancini brought on striker Simone Inzaghi.
The decision paid off seven minutes from time as Inzaghi charged down a ball in the area and chipped it over Gianluca Pagliuca.
The celebrations turned sour four minutes later when a deflected own goal by midfielder Ousmane Dabo brought Bologna level, but there was still time for Italian international striker Bernardo Corradi to head an 89th-minute winner.
The whole of Italy will be watching the two leaders - Milan and Juventus - battling it out at Milan's San Siro this weekend. It might still be the early stages of Serie A, but if a winner emerged from this titanic clash, they would take a huge step towards this season's Serie A title.

Publication Date: 2003-11-02
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3316