APPIANO GENTILE – Diego Milito's injury was naturally one of the main topics in the press conference ahead of Fiorentina v Inter, and it led to Andrea Stramaccioni being asked about the club's transfer strategy. He explained: "We followed a very clear path as we went about completing our squad, with the aim of bringing players through and with clear ideas for the future. We had an atypical front line before and it's obviously going to be even more so now. Our options are somewhat more limited without Milito. We do have people who can play in the wide forward position, but nobody is a perfect fit. Could Guarin and Alvarez play off a lone striker? Yes, in theory they could. In any case, we'll carry on playing with three attacking players. At the moment that's how we plan to keep going, even though we've lost one of our best players."
However, the coach is happy with decisions made during the January transfer window, like letting Marko Livaja leave: "You have to make reasoned choices based on the situation at the time. I agreed that it was a good idea to send Livaja out on loan because he needed to be playing games so that he can come back an improved player in July. It's easy to regret that now with Diego injured but we couldn't know it at the time. Diego's injury is a huge blow but it doesn't change our targets."
And Inter's immediate target is tomorrow's game: "We'll be up against a Fiorentina side that is motivated and in good shape. They'll be fired up and they didn't play in midweek either. The main difference compared to when we played them in San Siro is that they have Aquilani in midfield and also Toni, who wasn't contributing much at the start of the season but he's now one of their strengths; he gives them an alternative to the ball possession game they played in our first meeting which enabled us to get at them. It's going to be a great match."
A match that will be followed on Thursday by the Europa League last 16 return leg and then the derby. Andrea Stramaccioni was asked if he's worried about how the supporters might behave during the derby and if he has a message for Inter fans: "I think the sporting rivalry between the two sets of fans is one of the things that makes the derby so compelling. It's part of the beauty of football and it will always be part of the game. The only thing you don't want to see is sport and football giving rise to episodes of anti-social behaviour like racism. We have black players just as they do and other teams all over the world do. I think racism is something society has moved on from. You'll always get taunting between fans but Interisti don't need anyone to lecture them."
