MILAN (ANSA) - Watching his team win the derby, Massimo Moratti recalled the Champions League win over Barcelona two years ago and made a comparison between Stramaccioni and Mourinho. "The thing that makes Stramaccioni most like Mourinho is that he's clever and a hard worker," Moratti told Sky Sport Italia. "I hoped we could repeat what we did against Barcelona, that we could still succeed with a man down. I was fairly confident in my coach before and I still was after the dismissal. He's someone who will gladly talk tactics with you, he's professional and very hard-working. I leave team selection up to him though."
"What are our targets for the season? First and foremost, not to go crazy in the transfer market. We can have a good league season and then we'll see what happens. I will push my players to win the league but I also want to see young players come through. Are Juventus better than us? I wouldn't say that even under duress..."
Moratti cracked a joke when asked about the referee's performance: "Should I respond with 'I never speak about referees'? Usually a team only remembers the things that went against them, and not the breaks they got. So excuse my Inter bias but it's clear that it's never easy to play for 45 minutes with 10 men." On Cassano: "We've got a lovely squad, they've welcomed him straight in and he's doing well. He had added motivation against AC Milan."
"I think a lot of it is psychological, their league position comes into it, the fact they're not scoring goals. They've had big players leave, so obviously they need time to get back on track," concluded the president as he spoke about the Rossoneri's travails before continuing his interview with Domenica Sportiva.
"We're near the top but there's still a lot to do. I'm happy for Stramaccioni and the players. The coach has shown single-mindedness and intelligence and I'm pleased because he continues to do so, while the players are giving everything. There are no real stars but this is more of a team than a collection of individuals. Appointing Stramaccioni seemed a crazy decision, but I was sure of his qualities as a human being and I thought it was right to see if he was up to the job. I like him because he works very hard."
On the future and the January transfer window, Moratti explained: "Look, I spent a bit in the summer... I also thought I'd tightened the purse strings a little but then someone listed the players we've brought in. We're not in a position to make huge signings, we might sign someone if we see we're short in a certain area but it's not the time to sign superstars."
"Juventus and Napoli are two sides who are very consistent, they're going well and we can do well too if we stay together."
Moratti then explained the change in defence: "He spoke about potentially using this tactic. I thought he might be right. We're very flexible, what's important is being set up in a certain way." Is there the idea of project with Stramaccioni? "If you appoint someone it's with a view to the long term, but then perhaps something happens along the way. The idea though is to keep going with him because he's doing a good job."
