Inter assistant coach blames fixture congestion for draw at Parma

Inter assistant coach Massimiliano Farris said a packed fixture schedule contributed to their 2-2 draw with Parma on Saturday which opened the door for their rivals in the Serie A title race.

Farris, who took charge in place of suspended boss Simone Inzaghi after he was shown a red card last weekend, blamed the result on a demanding stretch that included a 1-1 draw with rivals AC Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals on Wednesday.

We are coming off tough games against physical teams and we know what the derby demands in terms of mental energy, Farris told a press conference.

Weve had a lot of tough games recently and this time we didnt have the mental and physical energy to keep our opponents at bay.

Matteo Darmian put Inter ahead after 15 minutes and Marcus Thuram doubled the lead just before the break. But Parma hit back in the second-half with goals from Adrian Bernabe and Jacob Ondrejka to keep the title contenders in the hunt.

League leaders Inter are on 68 points, four ahead of second-placed Napoli who could cut the gap to one when they face Bologna on Monday.

Inter do not have much time to rest as they face Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.

Its happened before, its not surprising. Its a question of mental and physical energy. We didnt want to drop points, but this can happen. Its no drama, weve come out of worse situations, Farris said.

Now were heading to Bayern Munich and well try to give 100% for this game. The final sprint will be great and we want to get there with confidence, he added. REUTERS

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