APPIANO GENTILE – What 2012 was, what 2013 could be, the team, the criticism and praise, the best and the worst moments, his relationship with president Moratti, the players and the fans, refereeing decisions, the Scudetto. This and much more came up in the interview Andrea Stramaccioni gave to Sportmediaset, which we've reproduced in full here in inter.it.
Andrea Stramaccioni, this is the end of what has been an incredible 2012 for you.
"Yes, it has. On a personal level, definitely. If I think about what I was doing on the first of January, I've realised a whole host of dreams and even if I feel 100% the Inter manager, it's still a huge dream for me because I never forget, not for a second, where I come from and what I did before I was here. 2012 is the year that changed my life."
Would you have believed it a year ago if they'd told you this would happen?
"No, I wouldn't. I've already said several times that I would never have put myself in charge of Inter last April, so if I'm completely honest I think it's more than a dream. One of those moments that really do repay you for all the sacrifices and hard work you've done, and it's thanks to president Moratti and Inter."
How would you rate this first part of the season?
"I wouldn't like to talk about a personal mark for Andrea Stramaccioni, I think it's difficult to separate the work of the coach from that of his team. I'd give my team a high 7/10 for these first five months because Inter have been able to get a big new project up and running. There were a lot of changes in the summer. The president – with the coach's and the directors' agreement – changed a lot of things in terms of the squad and the staff. This is an important time for the club and after these first five months, besides the results on the pitch which are the easiest ones to see, it's brought a lot of results behind the scenes. Everything is working well inside the club and it's more harmonious in this early phase of the season. I'd give a high 7/10 overall, but it could be a higher mark."
What do you need to improve further? Consistency?
"That's for sure. It's something we always talk about with the lads and my staff. I think we've been able to reach some high points in terms of performance levels but I'm not happy with the consistency of our performances."
Is it more difficult to coach Inter than other teams? Sometimes you come in for criticism even when you win.
"First of all, I'm the last one through the door, so I'm just trying to gain experience quickly, listen to the criticism I feel is constructive. I'm trying to improve because - be it for my age or my character - I tend to get upset when I hear someone criticising maliciously, not based on the real facts, whereas I've always accepted constructive criticism, which I believe is important to help you grow, and of course it's part of the game. The only problem in Italy is that sometimes the result counts a bit too much in the overall assessment of a match. You can win a game without playing well just as you can lose after playing superbly."
What's been the highlight of this adventure for you? Perhaps the first time you walked into the dressing room?
"No, I think that was the toughest moment. The best moment was when president Moratti said to me: 'I don't care what anyone else thinks, you are Inter's new coach.'"
And the worst moment?
"I tend to be a very positive person. Throughout my life, even in the really difficult times, I've always tried to see something good in everything. I don't think I've had any bad moments yet. In football terms, losing to Siena might have knocked us off course if we hadn't been in control of things. Instead, as I said at the time, I thought it was the most important moment, because afterwards we took a sharp turn and put together that string of victories that got us up to second."
What about your relationship with the president? There was a spark there from the beginning.
"I'd be lying if I said it was there from the very start. Certainly the president appreciated me on a technical level, he followed the Primavera and liked the way I had the team playing and managed the group. Then we got to know each other for the first time in that meeting which lasted two hours. We chatted about football and I realised something that I honestly didn't know before – that the president was talking football, that he knew what he was talking about and had his own football ideas. That was the start of a fantastic relationship, a very open relationship, that has grown day by day. It's a very frank relationship."
Is there any particular present you would like to give president Moratti next year?
"I do have a present in mind but I'm keeping it to myself. He knows what it is. But the biggest present is the general present, trying not to disappoint him, trying to live up to his expectations. I only know one way to do that and that's to work 25 hours a day, for Inter, for him, to prove he was right to place his faith in me. Then there's another present but, as I said, I'm keeping it to myself."
Do you expect one or two presents maybe to strengthen the team?
"I have such an open relationship with the president that – with all due respect for the job you journalists do – I wouldn't say such things in front of the microphone, in fact it would annoy me. He knows, he knows everything, we're working to build a great Inter team and we're in the first five months of a plan. Others have taken three years to reach the top, some have done it in less, we're working on it. Obviously being Inter we want to be successful immediately, but we'll now have a look at how we can improve the team."
The refereeing decisions against you have started to mount up recently. What do you make of that?
"We've been a little unfortunate with recent decisions. I put myself in the ref's shoes: there's a call, it happens really fast, he has to decide in a split second, often it's 50/50... Recently they've gone against us, but maybe we had a few go our way in the opening weeks. I've filed them under the 'misfortune' category because I didn't want to stir up controversy or anything else. It's the truth: there's contact in the area, it's uncertain, the referee has to make a quick decision and then we get to see it with 50 replays in slow motion and we see that maybe it was a penalty or not a penalty, a sending off or not a sending off. We've been a little unlucky but I'm sure there will be better moments."
Is it impossible to beat Juventus to the Scudetto?
"I think Juventus laid some strong foundations in the first year and in the second they've perfected something they set up in the first. They're the most consistent team in Italy, we've seen they're not unbeatable, but they are very solid in terms of consistency, which is something those chasing them haven't been yet. But if you take away Juventus, Serie A is a fascinating league: Inter can lose to Siena, Napoli can lose to Bologna, it's extremely well balanced."
Did you expect Antonio Cassano to play such a decisive role? Can you tell us something about your friendship?
"Calling it friendship is perhaps a bit excessive but I have been very open with him, since before he even became an Inter player. What we have in common is the fact that we both came from nothing, and I don't mean to disrespect my or his origins by that, but we speak very openly and I think that's one of the reasons why we understood each other immediately. His importance on the pitch is unquestionable. I think the excellent relationship he has with his wife and the coming birth of his second child Christopher have helped him to mature. I'm holding onto Antonio tight, I think he's already proved that he's an extra resource for Inter, like all the quality players were already here."
A player that has surprised you positively and one you'd like to see a lot more from?
"We have lots who are just starting to take off because we've handed debuts to some very promising youngsters in my opinion. Perhaps of them all I could say Juan Jesus, who made his Inter debut with the Primavera. He played for them against Cesena and went the full 90 minutes even though he wasn't fully fit. I talked to him a lot before and during the game and I saw a glimpse of his potential. Then there are two certainties, one of whom I'm really pleased for: Andrea Ranocchia. He's the proof of just how fickle football is. When I came here I said to him, 'Andrea, I'm sure you're an excellent player, you train well, but at the moment I don't think you're ready for the starting eleven.' That same player, with the same coach, looks totally different now and is massively motivated, thanks partly to the work our directors Branca and Ausilio have done to give him confidence. He stayed with us despite the fact there were offers for him and today he's a sure thing for Inter and Italian football. The other is Guarin, who has massive potential. I've mentioned these players but I could name others. I think they are the three extremes though: the top youngster, the sure thing we already had but who hadn't taken off yet and the biggest prospect for the future."
Who would you like to see more from? Who do you want to have a big 2013?
"That's a dangerous answer because it's not that I expect more. But there is one player with enormous potential in my opinion that I would like – perhaps with a tiny bit more luck – to be able to show his potential, and that's Ricky Alvarez. A player who hasn't yet been able to earn the confidence of our fans as he deserves; a player whose efforts I've tried to praise, because he's never been able to train continuously due to physical problems. He's always been very unlucky. Sometimes it's hard to give an assessment because first it's this little niggle, then it's another little niggle, and he's never able to get himself going. But he's a lad Inter believe in. And he was called up to Argentina – hardly a minor national team – not that long ago. I have a lot of faith in him. Hopefully, his luck has started to turn and he'll get some continuity."
Will we see Wesley Sneijder in an Inter shirt again?
"I'm sure that Sneijder can make me change my mind and earn his place back in the team, because you're sitting in front of the person who has been his biggest fan since 1 April, but at the same time that's how I am: if you deserve it, I'll give you everything, when I don't think you're up to playing you don't play. I think Wes appreciates that just as I think anyone who gets to know me should appreciate it. I'm your biggest fan when you deserve it, when I don't think you deserve it you sit out. If I were a player that's what I'd expect as the fairest way for the coach to do things. So I expect him to change my mind and when he does that we have a starting shirt ready for him."
What do you have to say to the Inter fans?
"I thank them because they have really got behind me in these first few months, in every game. I remember the stadium with 40,000 people in a match that didn't really mean that much - that's when I discovered a love for Inter that I hadn't felt until then. Our fans follow us from all over Italy and beyond, all I can do is thank them. From me and on behalf of the whole team, all I can do is wish them a magnificent 2013, for you and for us."
