Luciano Spalletti has offered a staunch defence of Inter captain Mauro Icardi following Saturday’s defeat to Sassuolo, claiming that ‘if we’re still in the hunt for Champions League place then it’s largely thanks to him.’

Icardi has come in for criticism following his performance against the Neroverdi as Inter fell to a 2-1 loss in their final home game of the season, but Spalletti believes it would be unfair to single him out for blame after the season he has had.

“He’s responsible for a lot of the points that are currently keeping us in contention for a top four finish,” the Nerazzurri’s head coach told reporters on Sunday. “There are no black marks against Mauro, he only deserves credit [for what he has done this season].”

Inter will have one last chance to secure a place in next season’s Champions League on Sunday when they face fourth-placed Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico, following the Biancoceleste’s 2-2 draw with Crotone at the weekend.

Spalletti remains confident that his side can reach the objective they set themselves at the beginning of the season, although he admits that beating Simone Inzaghi’s side will not be straightforward.

“We need to go and win against a team that’s played some great football this season,” Spalletti added. “It’ll be difficult.

“I believed we could qualify for the Champions League at the start of the season and now I am 100% convinced. Sometimes your emotions can play tricks on you and we need to get better at dealing with these situations.

“We had a terrible result on Saturday but we didn’t put in a terrible performance. The team was too frenetic [when trying to recover the match], at times we become emotionally penetrable.”

The post Spalletti Defends Icardi Following Criticism Over Sassuolo Performance appeared first on Sempreinter.

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