ROVERETO – "I'm feeling better all the time, it's coming along as per schedule and I think that as soon as we get back to Appiano Gentile I can start running and then join in with my team-mates again." Ivan Ramiro Cordoba is almost ready to return to the Nerazzurri group and he spoke about his road to recovery after Inter's friendly win over Cremonese: "I hope I can be back on the pitch before the opening day of the league season. My aim is to be ready for the first Serie A match and maybe be involved in a few games before then."
From Leonardo to Gasperini, Cordoba described the change: "We have a new coach and for the players that means we have to get it into our heads that we must take on board everything the coach wants. Gasperini explains things very clearly - that's important – and he doesn't ask us to do things we're not ready for yet. That makes everything easier. All the players seem very willing to work in this period and that enables you to reach your targets in less time."
The first Milan derby of the season, the Italian Super Cup in Beijing, is just two weeks away: "Are the Rossoneri better than us? They did well to win the title," admits Cordoba. "They deserved to win it and nobody can take that away from them, but what's past is past and we're fully aware of that. Now we have to concentrate on working hard and achieving our goals. What they do or how they feel shouldn't really matter to us. What matters is how we feel and that we are aware of our how good we are. The match against AC Milan on 6 August will be a wonderful event for world football and for us players. A derby in the Italian Super Cup has a special feel to it. We'll go to Beijing full of desire, having worked really well over the last few weeks, and we'll be looking to win the first trophy of the season. Revenge? If you pull on the Inter shirt you must always have that hunger to win because it's fundamental in a great club like ours."Finally, there was a mention for the man who played umpteen matches alongside him at the heart of the Nerazzurri defence: Marco Materazzi. "It feels strange after 10 years of on-the-pitch battles, good and not-so-good moments. It's strange not to see him here with us, but I think he will always be a part of Inter."
