APPIANO GENTILE – "We're all really sorry because it's a long and painful injury. I've been through one myself so I know what it's like. We're also sorry because he's our captain, he has been ever since I was born, and he's an example to us all. But with the physical and mental strength he's got, I'm sure he'll be back soon." Andrea Ranocchia spoke to Sky Sport Italia today and, naturally, the first topic on the agenda was Javier Zanetti's recent injury and operation.
The captain's armband has always been Zanetti's but in Palermo on Sunday it was handed to Ranocchia. "It's a difficult armband to wear because it's been worn by Javier for so long and before him by many other footballing icons. I hope I was up to the task for the time it was on my arm." So what if the coach told you to wear it in Zanetti's absence? "I'd be honoured of course, but there are lots of other lads who have been here for a long time, Treble winners, and it's only right that the armband should go to them."
Ranocchia was then asked about Inter's lack of consistency this term. "Let's say that we managed it in the first part of the season, when we put together that ten-match winning run," the defender explained. "Then injuries started having a bearing on things. Now it's almost as if we're under a curse, we're losing two players every game and that makes it very hard."
He went on to speak about the problems Inter's defence has had: "Personally I prefer to talk about the defensive phase, but of course the defenders are at fault when you concede goals. There have been a few games where we didn't defend well as a team."
Does losing so many team-mates to injury affect you psychologically, and perhaps make you worried you'll get injured yourself? "You don't think about that when you're playing, or at least I never do. What does affect you is seeing that you lose players, then others come back, then you lose different ones. That obviously unsettles the team. At the moment there are nine of us fit, hopefully we'll get a few more back or we'll be hard pushed to put a team out."
What about Europa League qualification – is that still within Inter's grasp? "Yes, it is. One thing I've noticed since I joined this club, compared to others, is that you must set out to win every single game. It's just the spirit of this club."
That spirit is one of the reasons he plans on staying at Inter long-term: "I've made my way up to a big club, I've always wanted to remain here, even last year when I wasn't playing much and people were talking about me going elsewhere. And I feel that now more than ever. My aim is to remain at Inter, just as it was last season when I wanted to prove to people that I wasn't a duffer."
Carrying on with Andrea Stramaccioni "would mean a measure of continuity, although it's always up to the president of course. At the moment he plans to stick with the coach and that would definitely make it easier for us players to get going again, with the same coach who has already tried to stamp his mark on this team," Ranocchia continued.
On playing as a striker: "I used to play up front as a kid until my feet grew bigger and then I was further moved back," Ranocchia explained with a grin. "It's not a problem or me if the gaffer asks me to play there, I could play as a ball boy too I needed..."
Finally, talk turned to Inter's next opponents Napoli, at the Stadio San Paolo on Sunday. "It's an easy game to get motivated for. We've always always managed to find an extra gear for the big games, even in a difficult season like the one we're having, so I'm sure we'll do the same on Sunday night. Is Cavani the most difficult player to keep quiet? Before I played for Inter, when I came across Milito I found him the hardest player to mark."
