Inter midfielder Davide Frattesi praises Simone Inzaghi’s man-management skills

Inter midfielder Davide Frattesi has hailed the man-management skills of Simone Inzaghi as the Nerazurri boss prepares to shuffle his pack once again against Atalanta.

The Serie A leaders boast a nine-point lead over Juventus and could stretch it to 12 with the right result against Gian Piero Gasperini’s side on Wednesday night.

Inter are set to be without key men Marcus Thuram, Francesco Acerbi and Hakan Canhanoglu, but are ready to bolster the starting XI by recalling some of the players who were rested for Sunday’s 4-0 walkover against Lecce.

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Nicolo Barella is expected to reclaim his leading role in the centre of the park, with Benjamin Pavard and Alessandro Bastoni poised to return to the backline after sitting out at the weekend. Striker Marko Arnautovic is also eyeing a promotion from the bench.

And Frattesi, who scored Inter’s second goal against Lecce, believes Inzaghi’s ability to keep the whole squad ready to compete at the highest level is a huge strength.

“It’s best to see a team where everyone is involved. Credit to Inzaghi for not leaving anyone behind,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Even when they were always playing the same ones, he came to talk to us and motivate us, making us feel important. I didn’t think I’d be a starter here straight away, it would have been stupid to even think so – but the bench is an opportunity for growth.

“Inzaghi knows how to manage us and when you have a bad day, he tells you the right words.”

Atalanta will return to the San Siro just three days after their most recent visit, which ended in a hard-fought 1-1 draw with AC Milan.

They will run out lying in fifth place, but just two points adrift of Bologna in fourth and with a game in hand.

On Sunday, La Dea trailed to Rafael Leao’s superb third-minute strike, but got themselves back into it before the break courtesy of Teun Koopmeiners’ penalty, controversially awarded for a high challenge by Olivier Giroud on defender Emil Holm.

Gasperini saw his side lose the reverse fixture against Inter 2-1 in November despite a performance with which he was largely satisfied, and he knows they will need to play at least as well to return with some reward for their efforts.

Gasperini told a press conference: “Inter are a complete team in all respects. Inzaghi has done a great job. Inter have quality players in every department. They play as a team, both in domestic and European competitions.

“We played a good game in the reverse fixture. It was a pretty even match. We aim to repeat that performance.”