Inter Boss Luciano Spalletti Describes Mauro Icardi as the 'Perfect Forward' After Beating Udinese

Inter manager Luciano Spalletti has hailed talisman Mauro Icardi as the 'perfect forward' after he scored the only goal of a tight game against Udinese on Saturday evening.

It took until the 76th minute for the Nerazzurri to break the deadlock following a VAR-awarded penalty which Icardi cooly dispatched, but Spalletti admitted his side should have 'wrapped things up earlier' as the hosts spurned a number of chances.

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Speaking to Sky (via Inter's official website), Spalletti clearly wasn't totally satisfied with his team's performance, despite returning to winning ways in the league.

"Tonight, we did well but without showing the necessary intensity and we didn’t have the right bursts of energy. We needed to show more ferocity but we did well on the pitch. I wanted to give a sign with my substitutions, we were a bit off-balance but we absolutely needed to bring home the result.

"We gave up a few too many shots but considering how the game went, we should have wrapped things up earlier on our way to getting the win," the Inter boss added.

Spalletti also singled out captain Mauro Icardi for praise after the Argentinian bagged his ninth league goal of the Serie A campaign:

"With these performances, our captain is showing every aspect of being a perfect forward. In the last two games, he’s done an extraordinary job in moving deeper to create space for his teammates. 

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"The chip from the spot? I think that Mauro watched the goalkeeper and saw him move early. He wanted to go for a finish that gave him the certainty of knowing that he’d score." The Italian added.