APPIANO GENTILE - Sports journalism is a strange world and so sometimes you get questions like the one put to Andrea Stramaccioni today: after just two games playing with the same tactical formation, could Inter have become predictable? The coach's reply came in the form of an interesting and intelligent tactical analysis: "I've always said that when attacking we want to have a centre forward and at least two quality players in support. It may be two wide players, a wide player and a man in the hole, or two in the hole. Depending on the game, our condition and the opposition's characteristics, the players and the positions might change but the strength of a team lies in its playing philosophy. That's the starting point then, as I said, there are always variations. If you have Sneijder then you're obviously going to have more quality down the middle, with different players you can spread play or vice versa. And it's not something linked strictly to the attackers: all the players are involved in the manoeuvre so it really is about the whole team."
The players. The same players who, not many matches ago, were past it in the eyes of many... That's a topic Stramaccioni enjoys talking about, in his own way: "Now it would be easy to say that certain assessments were wrong, that our recent showings have proved it, that on one occasion I even raised my voice because I disagreed with certain opinions." One topic that will remain outside the press room at the Centro Sportivo Angelo Moratti, however, is the club's future transfer dealings: "I'm only going to talk about my own players, who are doing very well."
The coach continued: "I don't know if I'm closer now to being confirmed as coach for next season. It would be easy to say yes looking at the good results we've had recently, but I'd like to emphasise the work done by the players and the progress the team has made - both in terms of the football and in how they respond on a psychological level. Going behind to Cesena at the start of the second half, after dominating the first, might have been a problem; it could have taken out the wind out of our sails. Instead the lads dug deep and gave everything they had. And, with the help of our fans we managed to bounce back and turn it around. We're all working together to achieve our target. We have never promised we'd finish third, only that we would do everything possible to get there. And I'll repeat that however it finishes we'll leave the pitch with our heads held high, as Inter should, having put absolutely everything into it."
More from Andrea Stramaccioni's press conference to follow soon on inter.it.
