Mancini hails Icardi, Jovetic after Inter's win over Napoli
Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini praised the efforts of his forward pair Mauro Icardi and Stevan Jovetic after they led his side to a 2-0 win over Napoli.
Icardi opened the scoring and turned provider for the second, while Jovetic was influential throughout as Inter closed in on third-placed Roma for the final Champions League spot in Serie A.
Mancini's side were forced to play without the ball for large period of time, but were deserving winners as Napoli's hopes of catching leaders Juventus faded further.
Speaking about the partnership between his forwards, Mancini told Sky Sport Italia: "I thought Icardi and Stevan Jovetic could've done better at certain moments of the season, as they have different characteristics and therefore can play together.
"They did well this evening, less so on other occasions. Against a side like Napoli you tend to have the utmost concentration, whereas against Torino last time we let our guard drop and made mistakes. That is part of the growth process."
However, Mancini played down any suggestions of a negative approach to the game.
"I won't comment on that. When you play against a team that passes better, you must try to limit their spaces. Napoli didn't do much to deserve a goal tonight," he said.
"It was a game in which everyone played very well. In the opening 20-25 minutes Napoli swarmed around and caused us problems with their passing, but we deserved the victory."
The former Manchester City manager also played down his side's chances of catching Roma in the table.
"I don't think we've got much of a chance," he said. "But we have to keep trying and will see where we are on May 15.
"There were some undeserved negative results, we were top of the table until January 6, so we'll see if there are regrets at the end of the season, but not today."
Icardi added: "We are doing well and have picked up three very important points today. I am sure Roma saw the game and will be feeling the pressure."
