APPIANO GENTILE - "Lazio have had a very good first part of the season. I remember at the start people weren't sure about Vladimir Petkovic, but everyone has changed their mind on account of his work and his players' performances. They're a match for anyone: they only came undone at Napoli but Lazio are one of Italy's top sides." These were Andrea Stramaccioni's thoughts on the Biancocelesti during his pre-match press conference on the eve of Lazio v Inter, Week 17 of Serie A 2012/13.
The Nerazzurri coach was then reminded that Inter have played very well against the top sides but struggled against the league's lesser lights: "I'd rather this than the other way round. The performances we've shown against our main rivals prove that we can compete. We are rueful about the points we've dropped but this shows we still have room for improvement. It'd be worse if we'd lost to the top clubs. I'd rather our project began like this to be honest, we've shown what we're about and this should give us strength. Juventus? They've been more consistent, not only in their results but in their individual performances, that's why they deserve to be ahead of us. We knew we could beat them on a one-off match but their project is a year further on than ours and they have great players and replacements in every position. My target is not Juve, it's Inter. All I'm thinking about is that tomorrow against Lazio we have a big test to show that we can be consistent."
Stramaccioni has not yet beaten a team from Rome however: "That way they love me even more when I go home," joked the coach. "I hope we can change that tomorrow, it's just a coincidence. In any case, as I've said, Lazio are a tough team to beat. With Klose returning they've got their main striker back, and they're quick down the flanks. Lazio are one of the most solid, well-rounded sides in the league, but we want to get a result."
