Jose Mourinho drops Ricardo Quaresma, Mario Balotelli and Marco Materazzi for the Napoli clash, but doesn’t believe the Panathinaikos defeat will distract Inter.
The Special One is increasingly ruthless with his squad when they do not perform up to the standards he seeks and this weekend cut another two stars.
“They are out because this week, both in the match situation and during training, they did not work sufficiently hard,” said the Coach.
“I left Materazzi out because, with [Ivan] Cordoba and [Walter] Samuel first choice centre-backs, I need [Nicolas] Burdisso on the bench.
“Marco played very well against Juve and also impressed with Panathinaikos, but tomorrow I want more attacking options and Burdisso can be a full-back or a midfielder too.”
The 1-0 home defeat to Panathinaikos was an embarrassment for the Nerazzurri, who had previously only lost one game all season, the Milan derby.
“I continue to maintain we do not deserve to already be qualified,” Mourinho said of the Champions League result that sent them through to the next phase anyway.
“We were fortunate to make the most of the 2-0 result in Athens from the opening game. I won’t rest anybody for Werder Bremen, as I want my team to win. Finishing top or second isn’t the point, it is the mentality that counts.
“The real Champions League begins in February and many times a side that finished the group phase with 12 or 13 points is too tired come the quarter-finals. We have to be strong when the competition counts.”
Meanwhile, Inter are three points clear at the top of the Serie A table and welcome high-flying Napoli to San Siro on Sunday afternoon.
“We are in front thanks to two great performances against Palermo and Juventus, so we aim to increase or at the very least maintain that gap,” continued Mourinho.
“Napoli are a side with quality and ambition who can cause real problems. We are concentrated and fired up for an important match like this.
“They are more than just individual stars, as I like the way [Edy] Reja gets the team to play overall and their organisation. They are solid defensively, dangerous on the counter, have quality in attack and play at a fast pace.
“I am not worried, though. I was before the Panathinaikos game because I feared we would relax, but this is different because Napoli are better than Panathinaikos. I am sure it will be a completely different approach.”
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