FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Serie A - Bologna v Inter Milan - Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna, Italy - April 27, 2022 Inter Milan assistant coach Massimiliano Farris before the match REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini/File Photo
MILAN (Reuters) - Inter Milan's assistant coach Massimiliano Farris praised his team's maturity in Sunday’s 3-1 home victory over Empoli and said they were focusing on one match at a time.
With manager Simone Inzaghi serving a touchline ban for accumulating yellow cards, Farris led Inter to victory with goals from Lautaro Martinez, Denzel Dumfries and Marcus Thuram.
"The team had a very mature approach; it doesn’t always mean coming out aggressively. We immediately found an Empoli side that focused on closing spaces at the back," he told reporters.
"Often, games are unlocked in the second half due to the work done in the first. And when Lautaro (Martinez) does what Lautaro does, there are no issues."
Farris added that they were not focusing on the table, with Inter three points behind Napoli at the Serie A summit but with a game in hand.
"We focus on the games to be played: before the match, we were six points behind, now it's three," he said. "Right now, we don’t have time to look at the calendar, we only think about what needs to be done."
Goalscorer Martinez admitted that Napoli would be a tough challenge to overcome in the title race.
"It’s going to be fascinating. We are three behind, we have a game in hand, but as always we need to focus on our own path, because Inter have to do better every single year," he told DAZN.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Toby Davis)
