APPIANO
GENTILE - On the eve of Inter v Genoa, Claudio Ranieri gave an interview to
RAI, which will broadcast the match tomorrow at 21:00 on RaiDue.
inter.it
offers the full text of the statements that the Inter coach gave to Thomas
Villa:
After
the derby, tomorrow the Coppa Italia: how much can Sunday's victory against
AC Milan affect the next matches?
"We'll
see in the upcoming games how much of an effect it will have on the players'
morale and self-esteem."
Meanwhile,
there's an indicative stat regarding ball possession: 67% AC Milan, 33% Inter.
As in the final of the UEFA Champions League in Madrid when Bayern Munich had
67% of the ball and Inter 33%. Does it mean that this is a team that knows how to manage the situation?
"I'm
happy that we've all become Spanish [smiling]. I'll just say that I prefer to
stay at 33% and win the match."
How do
you respond to the criticism you've received for this type of game?
"I'll
respond by saying two things: 1) I watch a lot of games and it doesn't seem to
me that there are many teams playing this extraordinary type of football. There
must be a few, certainly Zeman's Pescara. 2) I think our fans enjoy themselves
and if we manage to play 20 games like this then perhaps we'll win
something."
Would
you say then that it was a great match played by Inter?
"I
don't know. It's not up to me to say whether it was a great match or not. I can
say that we played against a great team and we did well to play it as we wanted
to."
How
important is the Coppa Italia for Inter?
"It
matters a lot. Inter won it last year and the year before, so it's important.
Genoa are coming and it will certainly be a lovely match. I hope that our fans
– although I know it's cold – are coming to support us. This is what the lads
and I want, to bring many fans to the stadium."
If
Inter play in a certain way, are they still the strongest team in the league?
"I
don't know. I'm used to giving to Caesar that which belongs to Caesar. There
are other teams ahead of us so therefore they're doing better."
Now
that the 'Tevez sensation' is over there is talk of two Brazilian players. Do
Inter really have to go back to the transfer market?
"I
don't know. But the important thing is to talk about it, so that way there's
something to say [smiling]. We won't talk about it. That's part of the
game."
And if
you're asked about Thiago Motta and Zarate, what do you respond?
"That
I never talk about the transfer market."
Ranieri
is spoken of as the 'normal one', but what you're doing with Inter is not
normal but miraculous.
"I've
been coaching since 1986. If now I'm the coach of one of the most prestigious
clubs in the world then I must have done something. No one has ever helped me,
so I must have done something right along the way."
How
far will this Inter go?
"We
live day by day, also because we started late. But we want to do well.
That's for sure."
