Inter director Beppe Marotta spoke ahead of the Champions League match between Inter and Shakhtar Donetsk to Sky Sport, and Marotta responded to the decision made by Conte to play Barella in his starting lineup while Eriksen remains on the bench for the match. Here were the director's comments shortly before the match begun:
"Regarding Barella, when a player starts he is in the best condition to give what the manager asks. Is Eriksen's time at inter over? Any answer about him becomes somewhat sickly. There are players who can make an impact as starters and others off the bench. It depends on the coach who makes his decisions in the interest of the club and the players. All my respect for Eriksen but Conte's decisions are not up for debate."
"Our objetives? The cycle began with Conte's arrival, last season we had excellent results, this year we are competitive in the league but it is not easy to obtain exponential results."
"If we qualify for the knockout rounds will we add players on the market in January? The squad is as it is. We can make two judements: in January it is not easy to find solutions, and there is an economic contraction that all clubs are facing. So we must look out for every opportunity but I guarantee that I am out listening."
