APPIANO GENTILE – Sky Sport Italia filmed an exclusive Christmas interview with Claudio Ranieri, in which the coach talks to Andrea Paventi about different episodes, anecdotes, thoughts, the good and the bad moments during his first three months in the Inter dugout.
inter.it provides you with the first half of the Nerazzurri coach's interview:
Is it fair to say that Claudio Ranieri has regenerated Inter?
"If I've managed to do that, it's thanks to the players. I put my faith in the hard core of the team because I saw the way they trained, the effort they put into every exercise. They had to find a way to turn the ship around, and with perseverance, desire and suffering they've managed to get back on course. It's not easy to accept that things keep going wrong even when you're working hard in training and giving 100%. It was crucial for them to keep plugging away when the results weren't coming. I spurred them on and told them not to give up; I gave them strength and seeing them in training gave me strength too."
Was Inter the way you imagined it would be when you joined the club?
"It
wasn't easy at the start. I knew that we'd have to work on our league
situation in the long term, although we didn't know how far we could go, but in the Champions League the match away to CSKA Moscow was the
first important step on the path to qualification. The defeats in the league to
Napoli, Juventus and Udinese caused us more suffering but helped
further reinforce the group."
What's the most important thing that Claudio Ranieri has passed on to the team?
"I'm very determined, I demand the maximum from myself and I demand the same from my players. People might see me wearing a smile all the time, always calm, but on the pitch and in the dressing room I can be hard too. I get angry when I have to. I not very good at acting though; I'm always what you see. I'm like an open book: my face gives away my feelings. That's why I explained to the lads that it was essential we built up a rapport, because if we could do that we could go a long way. We're getting there but we haven't achieved anything yet. We're still off the pace in the league and we can do better."
Have Juventus been the surprise package this season?
"They have done a good job, making some big investments, and they don't have European games so they can work well during the week. Conte is part of the team. He knows the good and the bad aspects of the city, the fans have got behind him straight away and the new stadium is another big boost. For all these reasons together, Juventus are where they deserve to be."
Are you satisfied that you've managed to change Ricardo Alvarez's 'chip'?"I wouldn't go as far to say that yet; it's still too early. The boy is immensely talented. When he plays in the middle you can see he really has an extra gear, but we should try to feed him more when he plays out wide. He's reached that stage where he has to decide what he wants to do with his career: you've got great ability, you've got everything you need and now you have to knuckle down even harder and try to realise your dream of being a success at a big club like Inter."
Of the youngsters, would you say Davide Faraoni is the closest to being ready?
"He's the last one I brought into the side and I've been really impressed by him. He's an example of that mix we've created between the hard core and the youngsters that has made us stronger. I relied on that hard core because I saw how determined they were; I saw they were only old on paper. In football it's not your age that counts, it's your determination, your willpower, your sacrifice. There are lots of players here who have won everything there is to be won, but it's as if they have never won anything. They still have that hunger to win things, or at least to try and win things. And what they do sets an example for the younger players, who see this group that has tasted so much success and yet carries on training with the same determination: unless you're stupid, they can't not jump onto the bandwagon and move forward with it."
What about Mauro Zarate? Do you still have to convey something to him to help him move up to the next level, or does it depend only on him?
"It depends on him. He's already got experience but he still produces the goods in fits and starts, and at a big club that's not enough, especially when your team doesn't have the ball. It's a mental thing: he just switches off sometimes. That's not to say he's lazy – he responds immediately when you call him – but I can't put a pacemaker in his brain."
You have given Diego Milito lots of chances: is that because of the commitment you've seen on the pitch, because he needs it or out of respect for his career?
"At the beginning I can show a player respect for what they have done in their career but then you have to think about the present and the future and I have to do what is best for the team. I have confidence in Milito and what he does on the pitch, with all his running. He's the sort of player who's always ready to respond, who battles against misfortune, who puts into practice what I tell him. Sooner or later he will turn into the 'Prince' again. When you see a player that never gives up, you have to believe in him."
