APPIANO GENTILE - Walter Mazzarri's press conference continued with more questions from reporters on a whole range of subjects.
You said that you want to assess the players and see how they react to the workload in the first two weeks of training camp, then possibly ask the club for reinforcements. Don't you risk not having your final squad until very late?
"I'll start by explaining something because you're always going to ask me these questions and I'll have to stop you. As far as transfer dealings are concerned I believe in respecting people's roles. I've given my views to Branca, Ausilio and the president. They know exactly what was said. Getting back to people's roles, it's not the coach's job to talk about transfers. If you've known me for a while, you'll know that it was the same at Napoli too. I explain what I have in mind then it's up to the club to talk about any decisions regarding the transfer market. As for the squad, it's true that I want 22 players in pre-season, two for every position, plus four or five youngsters who can stand in during training when people are tired or injured. I haven't worked with this team yet but I'm sure that lots of the players who start the pre-season with us will stay at Inter. There will be enough of them to be able to work the way we want and get off on the right foot."
Have you spoken to the president about possible investors?
"I'll repeat what the president said: if it's going to be good for Inter as a club, then by all means. That's what he said. All we're interested in is that whatever happens is positive for the future of this club. I needn't add anything else."
What are your plans for the youngsters who have made their first-team debuts and those who are returning from loan spells?
"I'll consider them very carefully. The youth academy needs to be the future and, since we're in the era of Financial Fair Play, also the resources of any club. I've already made some initial considerations with Piero Ausilio. I think the Primavera and the other youth teams will try to play with the same formation as the first team so that it's easier for them to make the step up. I'll consider things very carefully but we all know that Rome wasn't built in a day. In the course of time I'll try to get up to speed with everything that can be useful for the future of Inter."
Can you explain why you wanted to extend the training camp in Pinzolo?
"It comes down to the work ethic I was talking about earlier, and getting that message across. Two weeks of training with two sessions per day. Pondrelli and I are used to working in a certain way - we've fine-tuned it down the years and it's brought us success so we're not going to change it. The club had already arranged some friendlies, we've altered a thing or two because we need to work at a very high intensity for at least 14-15 days so that the players can build up their endurance. We want to start the season in a certain way and then fitness-wise we'll continue in a certain way."
Mateo Kovacic did really well in his first six months at Inter. What do you make of him?
"I prefer not to say too much until I've actually coached the players. He's certainly promising though. I don't know him but I've played against him so I can see he's a promising player. He's talented but also young. I'll be able to say more once I've spent a month or so with him."
You probably know already that lots of fans are going to compare you to José Mourinho. Is that a good thing or does it up the pressure on you?
"I've never made comparisons. A coach is like an artist, every one is different and has his own personality so you can't compare them. Every coach is himself. From my point of view, I always hope that the best is yet to come. If I go somewhere, I take my enthusiasm with me. I try to create something important, leave my mark, and I hope to do that at Inter too. That's about myself. Then if you want me to talk about Mourinho, he's a winner, I have no problem with that. When two coaches who both want to win are opponents you might get the odd run-in, but that doesn't change the regard or the respect you have for one another as far as I'm concerned."
You faced Inter as an opponent last year. What do you think needs improving ahead of next season?
"I'd say we should work on the players' conviction and self-confidence. As I said before, when you get lots of negatives all on top of each other - with injuries and a whole series of other things and then the year ending on a downwards curve - the people who went through it all might still be feeling the effects of it. As well as working hard, which I explained earlier, we must be first to the ball. We need to complete a thorough programme of fitness work, run as much as and more than the others and try to create a set-up that protects the players and makes them feel confident so they can rediscover the self-belief, which has probably dropped a little bit due to a series of results that Inter aren't really used to getting."
What do you think is the minimum period to be able to define a project as a cycle?
"People use those words but I don't think they're suited to football. Ever since I started out as a coach, I've always considered that the next game could be the one that gets me the sack. I've being doing this for 12 years, you must try to convince people from the word go, knock out a few results. Then, once you've got off on the right foot, the project can start to evolve. You can improve on what you're already doing. You can create things, build things. But in football it's important to start off with certain convictions, also because you guys don't give us much time. When I took over at Napoli they were sixth from bottom, and with the same players we almost qualified for the Champions League and ended up getting into the Europa League. After that, this coach Mazzarri, having gained credibility and respect, was given a bit of credit and he was able to build on it for three more fantastic years. I got off on the right foot: fifteen games without defeat when I arrived seven games in. The way I see things, with all the risks and dangers of this world we work in and of this job, you need to put your stamp on things straight away, convince the players from day one that your idea is the right one and that it needs to be carried out as well as possible."
One of the things about your teams is that they always seem to have a soul. How are you going to recreate that at Inter? And another question. You've coached Antonio Cassano before. What sort of a player do you expect him to be now?"I have an excellent relationship with all the players I've coached. You saw what happened last year when we played against Inter here and lost. After five minutes and with Inter in the lead there was a throw-in and Cassano came over to the dugout to say hello to me. I think that's your answer for you.
"The soul of a team is when they buy into the idea that the team always comes first, before any personal interests. You know perfectly well that in football the only person who lives by the success of the team is the coach. The players can live by the team too but at the end of the day they're still individuals. A player can play brilliantly and score a hat-trick but then Inter lose 4-3: he's spared but the team has lost and the coach and the club get put on the line. It's important we get the message across that here, starting today, everyone must think about Inter, the team, and that personal interests comes after. That's the first idea to be carried forward and bought into, after that it will be downhill. If we aren't able to do that we could end up slipping into another negative season, and I've been brought in specifically to make sure that doesn't happen."
