LONDON – Everything is ready for Tottenham v Inter. Andrea Stramaccioni is also
ready, and at the press conference on the eve of the match he explained:
"We’re certainly coming into this important game with a peculiar injury
situation. We’re trying to get back as many players as we can for tomorrow, but
we still can’t afford to risk those who aren’t quite fit yet. That’s why we
have six Primavera players in the squad with us."
Inter will face Tottenham once again. More than two years have passed since
Rafael Benitez’s team played them, and Stramaccioni explained just how different this current Nerazzurri side is: "I believe Inter kicked off an
important project this season. It’s one of renewal after ending an era in which
every possible trophy was won. Now the club and president are aiming to create
another great era in our history. In this first season it’s certainly the case
that our team consists of a combination of players who made history with the
club as well as youngsters who represent our future. So far, taking into
consideration the problems that we’ve had, we're pleased with the progress we're making, and now we’re facing a very important
game in the Europa League."
Asked about Antonio
Cassano, Stramaccioni said: "He's here with us. He was called up as normal, trained with the team and
tomorrow I’m certain he’ll play his part, either as a starter or a sub. There
are no problems at all now."
He then focused on analysing the opponents: "I believe Tottenham are not just a physically strong team, but also a group with quality and one that plays excellent football. And although he started with a strong foundation, you can see the good work that André Villas-Boas has done. He deserves a lot of credit for the growth of this team. Bale is becoming - he already is - one of the most complete players in Europe; in addition to his fantastic talent, he’s showing himself to be consistently decisive, which is what separates a good player from a great champion. But Inter have great champions too. We have a lot of respect for Bale, Lennon and Defoe, but we have our own champions, so I think Tottenham have respect for Inter as well. There’s mutual respect, but not fear. Is there a special plan to stop Bale? It’s important to stay very alert. We know that right now we don’t have many possibilities to make changes, for reasons I’ve already explained. Bale is a player to be reckoned with, but I believe tomorrow’s game is Tottenham v Inter, not Bale v Inter. I say this out of respect for the rest of the team we’ll be facing."
