APPIANO GENTILE – Lots of names have been linked with Inter as possible transfer targets recently and when pressed on the matter during his press conference before the Sampdoria game, Andrea Stramaccioni had this to say: "Inter have been working on the transfer market for quite a while. There were some January targets that we tried to bring in immediately but in many cases that wasn't possible so we planned for further ahead. The club are making their choices and when I'm asked to I give my input. But my thoughts are mainly with the ten remaining league games we have to play. In that sense the only good thing about being knocked out of the Europa League is that we can focus on domestic matters."
Looking back on Thursday's game, the coach stressed that "Our strikers did a fantastic job, so did the whole team. Antonio and Rodrigo gave absolutely everything. And of course now we have Sampdoria: Antonio had some great times in Genoa and he's very much loved there. It's not for me to say how he's feeling but I think it must be a special game for him."
There's also a former Inter player at Sampdoria, Andrea Poli. "A player who I rate and also one who fitted into my tactical plans for the team here. Why didn't he stay? All I can say is that I'm pleased he's doing well. You also have to go through negotiations and I don't know how it all went except that he stayed at Sampdoria."
Passing from one midfielder to another, Stramaccioni then spoke about Fredy Guarin's position when it was put to him that the Colombian had produced a below-par performance against Tottenham: "If you ask Fredy to play a restrictive in front of the defence that's obviously going to reduce his potential. He gives the best of himself when playing as a central midfielder getting forward to support the attack, or further forward in an attacking midfield role: his power and attacking prowess are an important part of his game. He often found himself outnumbered against Tottenham but that's because we outnumbered them in other areas of the pitch. He still played well though. He's what links the midfield and the attack. And let's not forget that he's also played more minutes than most."
The coach was also asked about Mateo Kovacic: "I have great belief in the lad, I really wanted him here and his talent is there for all to see. Mateo does need to be managed carefully, however. He's 18 years old and he had cramp at one point of the game on Thursday. He played something like 70 or 75 balls and only got five or six wrong – that's incredible. He's a player to be managed for the moment and a sure thing for the future."
Naturally ahead of Sampdoria v Inter, Stramaccioni was quizzed about Mauro Icardi's future: "He's a modern centre forward who combines athletic ability with a keen eye for goal, which is rare in a player so young. Along with Eder, Sansone and Maxi Lopez, he has the potential to cause problems for us. Samp are a threat that need to be taken very seriously, especially at home. Icardi's future at Inter? It would help no one and also be disrespectful to talk about the boy's future."
