Stramaccioni hails Inter starlets

Posted Friday, December 07, 2012 by Goal.com

The young boss was delighted with the performance of his youthful looking side but singled out the talent of the night, Marko Livaja, for special praise

Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni was left highly encouraged by his side's display against Neftchi Baku, which included a string of young players including goalscoring hero Marko Livaja.

The Italian giants finished in second place in Europa League Group H after drawing at home to their Azerbaijani opponents.

Despite conceding late which cost the Nerazzurri victory, Stramaccioni had only positive things to say about his young side and, in particular, the performance of Livaja, who netted a double.

"We did really well tonight, I congratulate these young boys. It is a good sign that they are doing well," Stramaccioni said at a post-match press-conference.

"They need to continue working hard and stay humble. They give us much hope for the future.

"Livaja was a real protagonist with his goals. Myself and my staff have always regarded him highly. We decided to keep him at the club because he has qualities.

"But, he is still very young and like the others needs to continue working hard with humility."

Stramaccioni also lauded Antonio Cassano's impact from the bench while he turned his focus to his side's Sunday encounter with Napoli.

"Antonio did very well and got into some dangerous positions," he added. "Now we have to recover and look ahead to Sunday's game against Napoli, which is very important.

The star of the evening, Livaja, expressed his delight after his fine showing and revealed his desire to emulate his team-mate, Diego Milito.

He said: "We played better than they did. They were lucky to draw in the end. But, still I am happy with my game and of course scoring two goals.

"But now we have to think of Napoli. You ask me if I could be the next Milito? I can only hope so."