MILAN – "I know I'm getting boring every time I say this, but it must be said that when the others score from their first attempt on goal, we lose confidence. We started off well and played well for the first 15 minutes, then on their first break Catania scored and we were in trouble. Thank goodness I have champions in the changing rooms who were able to look each other in the face and react." Claudio Ranieri analysed this evening's match at the Meazza on Sky Sport. It was an uphill battle, but one in which the team was able to concentrate as a group and turn around an awkward scoreline.
It was a draw and one point, but it might have lifted the clouds surrounding Claudio Ranieri's future at Inter, as he said: "Clouds don't only descend on the coach; they descend on the whole of Inter. President Moratti made it very clear, we are all in the dock and I'm not interested in Ranieri, I'm trying to do my best for the team. Tonight's was an important reaction. We managed to score again, but that's not the end of it: this is a team that doesn't give up and we'll fight on. It was a strange match tonight. Forlan playing as full-back? I won't always ask him to play there as he's a striker, but I've already told him: I'll put the players that I think are the best on the pitch. Today he played in a new position, it was the first time for him and he'll keep on improving."
From Forlan to Sneijder, who Ranieri brought on after half time. "We either praise or criticise Wesley," he explained. "It's normal to speak about him whether he's playing well or badly. We mustn't forget that he's just finding his feet again after the first half of the season when he wasn't able to express himself as he can."
During those 90 minutes, especially when they were losing 0-2, did Ranieri ever wish he were far away from the Inter bench? The coach had this to say: "Never. Why should I have wanted to be as far as possible from my bench? I have had a lot of pressure but there's no point in burying your head in the sand. A coach must stick by his team for better or for worse."
The skill is there, but maybe the concentration is lacking sometimes: "They are both important, said Ranieri, especially the concentration because in football there are times when everything looks black. The lads were great, because their pride with the score at 0-2 was still there and they did everything they could to turn the scoreline around because of their dedication to this shirt."
Ranieri then spoke about the request he made to have an extra year added to his contract when he arrived at Inter. "Both the president and I knew that this was going to be a particular season after the success of the last years. They proposed two years and I'm happy with that; then we'll see. I hope I'll stay here as long as possible even if, like husbands, we're always the last to know. I think the president has confidence in me and I just concentrate on my work. Can we still think about coming third? Now we have to concentrate on winning to get on track again and only on that."
On Mediaset Premium, the Inter coach continued and explained that "after a bad first half the players pulled out their pride from the suffering. They pulled out their love for the shirt they play in; Inter has given them a lot and thay have given a lot to Inter. People can say many things to Ranieri, but I don't feel all of these. At half time I was thinking about how to put my house in order and the lads were fantastic. My future doesn't interest me, I'm Italian and I know where I live."
A stream of questions flowed in Claudio Ranieri's direction, on the future of Andrè Villa Boas for example who was sacked by Chelsea this afternoon ("yes, he's free now, he managed it before me...)", and regarding the transfer market: "Find a winger in January for the 4-4-2 formation? I never like to talk about what could have been, I prefer to make the most of what I have. You have to be positive even if you are 2 goals down in the first half. We reacted after finding ourselves 2 goals down; you have to be positive and we've started scoring again, we see the glass as half full and we'll have to fill the rest. Anti-club banners? It's a shame that a club and a president that have done so much and have achieved so much come under criticism in their first bad season, but we must be above this. We must accept the booes and the applause. This year we find ourselves playing against one and all. This is a challenge a personal one, for the good of Inter and we have to accept it."
Finally on Rai Sport: "As well as courage we pulled out the feeling of unity in the changing room and that's why his team has won everything there is to win, precisely because they know how to react to problems. A 2-0 scoreline could have meant death for Inter, but we're still alive. After the interval the lads gave all they had for this special shirt they wear. Damage to my heart? You'll have to carry out tests... (Ed:smiling) At the end of the first half I didn't feel like I was on the way out, I never have in my career. I have always been focussed and I was focussed tonight on how to help the team react. And I enjoyed the reaction immensely."
