ROVERETO – Felice Natalino was one of the protagonists of Inter's friendly win over Cremonese at the Stadio Quercia in Rovereto yesterday afternoon. "It was a good game," remarked the defender after the match. "Obviously our legs aren't in tip-top shape yet but it's all part of the preparation so I don't think there's anything wrong with that. The training camp went really well and the best thing about it was the fans, who got behind us every single day, morning and afternoon. That gave us an extra incentive."
What's Natalino like as a player? He described himself to Rai Sport: "I'm essentially a centre-back but I'm used to playing at right-back now as well. I think my best trait is my versatility: I'm just as comfortable on the right as I am in the centre of defence."
The Nerazzurri defender then spoke about Gian Piero Gasperini: "He's a fantastic coach. He's shaping the team and it's up to all of us to follow his instructions word for word." The coach and the player are working together for the second time, after their experience at Crotone. "Has he changed? Let's say that his goals are different now. Crotone to Inter is a huge leap in quality. I was very young back then and now I have world-class players ahead of me and I have to learn all their secrets."When you're mixing it with the world's best, even the smallest mistake can cost you. Natalino knows that full well and only has to think back to Lazio v Inter in December 2010. "For me that was an introduction both to the beauty and the hard knocks of Serie A: you can't let up for a second, especially if you're very young, because one lapse can lose you the whole game."