APPIANO GENTILE - Juan Pablo Carrizo spoke to the gathered media at the Centro Sportivo Angelo Moratti this morning, accompanied by technical director Marco Branca and sporting director Piero Ausilio.
"I've met a fantastic group of lads here," the new Nerazzurri keeper began. "I knew quite a few of them already and we've got on well immediately. I'm delighted to be at this club and I want to enjoy every minute of this amazing experience."
Carrizo then spoke about what prompted him to make this career change and how he sees the future: "I agreed to join because of what Inter represents, and of course because there are some brilliant players like Zanetti, Cambiasso and Samuel. I want to follow their example. When I chose to come here I knew that I had a keeper like Samir Handanovic in front of me who is doing really well. I want to do my bit for this team both on the pitch and off it. It's my job to train hard and make sure I'm ready whenever I'm called upon."
The Argentine goalie also explained why he picked the No.30 shirt: "I have two kids: Delfina was born on 3 June 2008, and Lola last Sunday, on 27 January. If you put the two dates together you get 30. My family are always in my mind, they've always been very supportive to me in the difficult moments of my life."
On Lazio, the club that brought him to Italy, he had this to say: "I have some wonderful memories of my time at Lazio. Perhaps I would have liked to play a bit more, but you must accept things, be mature about them and look forward. I'm grateful to Lazio because they helped me to develop as a player and if I'm at Inter now, I took my first steps to come here in Rome. I'm glad I've joined this club with a magnificent president, a club which has won everything there is to win in football and which places a lot of emphasis on human values."
While under contract as a Lazio player, Carrizo spent time on loan at River Plate, Real Saragoza and Catania, and he openly admitted that he's hoping to put down roots for a while now. "Yes, I do want to settle down a bit. Who wouldn't like to be able to spend more than one year in the same place? I was very young when I first came to Italy and it was a different way of working for me compared to how things are done in South America. There we don't start working as goalkeepers at such a young age, whereas here they focus on technique right from the very beginning. I do want a bit of stability but that will obviously depend on how well I do and what I'm able to show Inter. I hope to stay in Milan for as long as possible."
On his personal targets: "I want to be a part of this squad, an extra man who is ready when needed. As for Inter, all I can say is that this is a team which has always challenged for the big prizes. It's a difficult period at the moment but we have plenty of talent here and I'm sure we'll have no problem reaching the targets we've set ourselves."
Finally, Carrizo commented on the mood in the dressing room after recent results: "Everyone seems to be calm about it, but I know they are all fired up to turn things around immediately, starting with our next game. I've seen more anger than disappointment. A team like Inter can never throw in the towel."
