APPIANO GENTILE - Dejan Stankovic was the player chosen by Claudio Ranieri for
the press conference on the eve of Inter v Olympique Marseille, the return leg
of the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League.
The Serbian midfielder began: "We're confident. After the last performance in Verona, we're confident. We know Marseille well and in their group they earned more points away than at home. But we have to have a hot heart and a cool head. And that's what we'll have."
Then Stankovic was asked about what will change with the return of Remy: "For us it doesn't change much. Perhaps it will change something for them. We must be very focused, full stop, because they have a fast attack. We are the ones that have to make up ground, but we can't leave too much space behind us because they could end up hurting us on the counter."
And of course there was a question about the substitution in Naples that brought talk of an outburst from Stankovic: "I had no doubt that a question that has nothing to do with football would come along. Let's focus on the present. I don't care for a question like this one. How can I not respect a coach like that? Let's think of the present and the match of the season."
The Serbian was also asked about tactics and playing in front of the defence: "Yes, I enjoy it there. I like having the game in front of me, pinging balls forward, providing cover for my defenders. When I'm fit it's one of my favourite positions to play in."
Stankovic went on: "It's perfectly normal for the president to expect the maximum, especially from us senior players. We haven't had the best of seasons so far but we know it could take an important turn tomorrow evening. It's a strange feeling when the results aren't coming for you week after week; it's tough. And I still don't know how it happened. The football had become a golf ball. But in the end it paid off in Verona. The win has taken a burden off our shoulders and given us confidence for tomorrow's game."
Julio Cesar gave a rousing team talk at half time in Inter v Catania. What would Stankovic say? "There's not much to say. Julio Cesar's talk was spontaneous and it came from the heart. I like to have five seconds of silence to focus before taking to the pitch, that's all."
The midfielder continued: "All I can say to the fans is thanks. They understood that it was a difficult moment and they didn't pile on any more pressure than we already had; they understood and they helped us. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to pull off a great comeback with their support."
Finally, there was a question about his fitness: "I'm 200%, I'm fine. I'm disappointed to have been sidelined at various points during the season but I have an opportunity now and I want to make the most of it."
