KAZAN – "We deserved to draw," said a disappointed Andrea Stramaccioni after watching his side lose to Rubin Kazan by a cruel scoreline.
"In the heat of the moment I'm annoyed. We couldn't believe we were talking about such a result... We came to a tough ground and the lads did really well for 70 minutes. We had a lot of youngsters out there today, the ninth player from our youth academy made his debut since I've been in charge. We started with an average age of 22 and a half and that can only be a good thing for Italian football. Against Atalanta and Cagliari at home we gave too much away to the opposition but we didn't do that at all today. Belec hardly touched the ball until the 86th minute. Still, we accept the result of the pitch. We'll go home now and focus on Parma."
Asked about Andrea Ranocchia's substitution, the coach explained that he had told him "not to risk anything. As soon as he felt his muscle tighten he did the intelligent thing and asked to come off."
Stramaccioni was then told about the compliments he was paid by José Mourinho, who said he hoped people would continue to draw comparisons between the two of them because it would mean that in a year's time the Nerazzurri coach could win the Champions League: "Did he really say that? [smiling] He's something to aspire to for a young coach like myself and just being at the same club where he wrote history gives you the chance to listen to and learn from his experience. I hope I don't disappoint him."Stramaccioni was also asked if he would like to be in the dugout next Monday - the question clearly alluding to his suspension and Inter's appeal. He sidestepped the matter by quipping, "Why, do you think I might be sacked after losing this game 3-0?"
