APPIANO GENTILE – "I'm coming back from Italy duty fired up and ready to end the season on a high. When you go away with your national team, whether you play or not, you return feeling stronger. Italy always boosts your motivation." That's what Andrea Ranocchia had to say to Mediaset on the day he returned to Appiano and took part in his first training session before Inter v Juventus.
"We won our first meeting with Juve this season and we hope to repeat that," the Nerazzurri defender grinned confidently. "I worked hard with Italy and I'm ready. Did I talk about the Inter v Juve game with my Italy team-mates? When you're there, you're all part of the same group and we speak about Italy more than anything. Might they be thinking about Bayern Munich? We're thinking about ourselves more than them and Bayern."
Ranocchia was then asked how Juventus can be beaten: "By working as a team, that's how. And we'll take the Tottenham game as an example: it was as if we were all one and the same."Victory against Juventus would mean a lot not only because it's a big match but also because every point is crucial in the Champions League race. "We'll fight right down to the wire to get back into the Champions League. It's a tough old battle for third place because there are lots of sides in the mix, but we're in there too. We've got ten games and we need to win them."
Andrea also spoke about fellow centre-back Walter Samuel: "He's a mainstay of the team, a strong personality who knows how to lead the backline and it's important for us to have him back. Will we revert to playing three at the back with Samuel? I don't know, it's up to the coach. But we felt comfortable with four and with three."Ranocchia dismissed the rumours surrounding the coach: "You expect rumours when you work as a coach, but that doesn't and mustn't affect his work. We're all with Stramaccioni."
What about his personal objectives and the team's targets? "For the team, it's to finish third. On a personal level I hope to keep improving my game. I grew a lot last year, having a disastrous season helped me - that's another way for you to grow."
