APPIANO GENTILE – "We're going to go for it tomorrow. We know Milan have some great players but we won't be afraid when we step out there." Andrea Stramaccioni rallied his troops as he spoke in this afternoon's press conference ahead of Inter's Serie A Week 26 clash with the Rossoneri.
The Nerazzurri coach then offered his thoughts on whether the Europa League might have an effect on events in the league, and why the derby isn't being played on Monday like the games involving Napoli and Lazio. "I think the Europa League needs to be given its due respect. If we want Italian teams to do well and keep Italy's UEFA ranking high, the competition needs to be taken into consideration when the fixture list is drawn up. You can' t deny that [playing in the Europa League] affects you but I've never been one to look for excuses. Another 24 hours would have helped us go into tomorrow's game in better shape, for sure, but I'm speaking from an Italian perspective in general here. If Italy wants to keep doing well in the Europa League, we have to make sure we give it the right consideration."
Stramaccioni was then asked how he sees the perfect derby. "One that we win!" he smiled. "Getting your approach right is crucial, and our fans will help us to do that. All the games that we've started on the right foot we've then taken charge of and seen through to the final whistle. AC Milan are in a good spell at the moment, in football terms they go into the game as favourites, but as the Inter coach that's of no great interest to me."
What about Stramaccioni's two previous derbies since taking over at the helm of the first team? "There was an amazing atmosphere at the first derby. I remember seeing this huge human wall rising in front of me, the choreography. That's when you see even the most experienced players feeling the emotion of the occasion - that's the beauty of this sport. Any particular anecdotes to tell? Well, there's one about Maicon and his goal – the one that sealed the win for us in a hugely important derby, an incredible goal. When hugged each other after he scored and we said something that will remain between us - an unforgettable moment. Then there was our win earlier this season, when we played with 10 against 11, holding out against a Milan side on the attack. Wonderful memories. But that's all in the past, we're only thinking about tomorrow now."
That was the cue for another question about Balotelli, with Stramaccioni simply stating that "he's a player who used to play for Inter, an excellent player, a talented player, but tomorrow there will be lots of excellent players who have made footballing history. Tomorrow will be a derby between two teams riding high in Serie A."On the decision to substitute Ricky Alvarez after an impressive 54
minutes against Cluj: "It was about managing him carefully. With
Milito out injured, Alvarez has become a fundamental player for us and
when I saw that the game had taken a certain direction, I spared him a
few minutes in consideration of the derby and the overall management of his fitness."
