MILAN - "I was sorry and that's why I immediately apologised to him first of all. Let's not forget that president Moratti has spent an awful lot of money on this team and he intends to keep investing to win. That's what he said again just a few days ago to me and the team. He told us he is in charge of a prestigious club and he wants to carry on winning. Absolutely. As a coach I say that a team can have a few problems for a year, there's a natural change but there is a good team here and the club is healthy and strong." On "La Domenica Sportiva" on Rai Sport, Claudio Ranieri spoke about president Moratti's decision to leave the Stadio Meazza before the final whistle in Inter v Bologna.
The coach then turned his attention back to the team, and Sneijder in particular: "He's not a problem but a solution," he explained. "But at the right time. We saw that this side was ticking over again, it had found a certain balance, but I think that an Inter coach is duty-bound to try and integrate players with a special quality, even though by doing that the team is now suffering a lot. I'll have to take some decisions and I will. At the beginning of this run I said the good part and the hard part was starting; good because we had to integrate some top players into a perfect machine; hard because you couldn't hide the fact that the team had a few problems."
From Sneijder to the weight of the old guard, represented first and foremost by Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso: "They are fantastic players who stand up to be counted§; they have charisma and still have a lot to give. It's not that I pick them because I have better players, but because they know how to lead this team and I don't agree that they should be the first ones to come in for criticism when things aren't going so well."
From the midfield, which has come under attack, to the defence: "Is Ranocchia's dip in form because he no longer feels I have confidence in him. I don't think so, I talk to him every day and he knows that I'm counting on him a lot. I've told him he'll be an Inter defender for the next ten years. Could Walter Samuel return against Marseille? We have to decide when he can return, he's still feeling a bit of a problem there."
The coach also replied to suggestions that he doesn't carry enough influence in the dressing room: "I don't see any divisions. How can there be discontent in a dressing room that is used to winning? The players who don't play are complaining? That always happens, it's always been like that, but they've all played so there's nothing to say."
Then, on the suggestion that Inter's confusion might have something to do with the frequent change of formation: "A coach knows his players very well, he starts off with an idea and then he sees if it's the right one; if it's not then he shuffles things around during the game. At the moment there's not enough cover. If we lose the duels in midfield, we lose the game."
As for the transfer market, there was no request from Ranieri not
carried out by the club because, as the Nerazzurri coach explained
himself, "I said I would have like to have a wide attacking
player but if it wasn't possible then it wasn't possible, that's all there is to it. We
would have preferred not to sell Thiago Motta; we managed to convince
him to stay until June and then he came back and said he wanted to
move to Paris. Why force him to stay at all costs if he would then be
lacking motivation? When I put him in the side against Napoli he gave
away a penalty. I prefer to have players who want to stay. I've lost
a top player and I'm really sorry about that but that's how it goes."
Finally, Ranieri looked ahead to Inter's next match against Olympique Marseille: "It doesn't matter what the opposition is called. As I've always said, it's about the form each side is in when they meet. Since I arrived at Inter this is the first period in which we haven't been able to get it together. And we'll be facing a team that hasn't lost a game since 23 November. They have some very skilful players. A French team playing football with an 'Italian' coach."
