In the interview with Alessandro Villa, which will go on air tonight at 21:00 on Sky Sport Italia channel 232, the under-19 team coach described the pride he feels when he is representing the blue and black colours which he feels more strongly tied to as time goes by: "I'm Roman and spent 6 years at Roma, but Inter has won me over, beginning with the energy it took to reach the understanding we have now. Meeting president Massimo Moratti is enchanting: he has said some wonderful things about me and I'm trying to repay him in every way for the faith he has had in me. That goes for Ernesto Paolillo, Piero Ausilio and Roberto Samaden too, who I'm lucky enough to work with. I'll dedicate myself 101% to these colours that I feel more and more part of with every day that passes. I'm happy here and am totally focussed on this adventure."
He had a word of advice for his lads: "Managing initial fame – just like you have when you play for Inter's Primavera team – isn't easy, because you risk feeling you are good and overdoing it, if you have the honour to wear these colours: I always tell the lads that it's a starting point, not a destination. They must not forget that and they must make the spirit of sacrifice their duty."
Stramaccioni went on to express his deepest sentiments, starting from the "bitter disappointment after being eliminated from the Viareggio Tournament," and continues as he speaks of the care and concentration that's going into the preparation of the final phases of the Next Generation Series: "A sort of youth Champions League, where we have found ourselves up against incredibly talented sides but we have also been able to show ours. The NextGen series has broadened horizons: and this is all credit to Ernesto Paolillo who strongly believed in it. And now we have reached the final stages: back to London after those 7 goals in our first match in the competition... but that's football: maybe it's destiny [said the coach, smiling]. You must never give up, and here we are with our chins up again."
Their chins are up not only in Europe but in the league too, because "we have a great hunger for victory and we will show it. We haven't been very consistent but we are working to solve this problem," said the Primavera coach, as he looked towards a blue and black future: "I won't give up this bench until we stop doing well, until we win something together, or rather, a lot together. I'm happy here and my top team is this Primavera."
