PINZOLO – Following the presentation of the players yesterday evening, tonight it was the turn of Inter's coaching and medical staff to stand up on stage in front of the Nerazzurri fans in Piazza San Giacomo.
One by one they were called up: familiar faces like masseur/physio Massimo Dellacasa and doctor Franco Combi, and less familiar ones such as Walter Mazzarri's technical consultant Giuseppe Santoro.
A cheer went up when team manager Ivan Cordoba appeared. The Colombian smiled and said, "I have nothing but gratitude for all of you, for all the passion and affection you show us. On our side, we're working hard to build something important so that we can repay you for all your support."
After long-standing Nerazzurri man Giuseppe Baresi and match analyst Michele Salzarulo, it was time for Mazzarri's trusted aides: technical assistant Luca Vigiani, goalkeeping coach Nunzio Papale, fitness coach Giuseppe Pondrelli and vice coach Nicolò Frustalupi, son of Mario, a Scudetto winner with Inter in 1970/71.
Walter Mazzarri was welcomed by the chant of "You're our best signing." He smiled before revealing: "I must be honest, after all the times we've been on opposite sides down the years, you've been absolutely exceptional. I really didn't expect it."
The coach continued: "I've come to an amazing club where everyone is extremely well-disposed, all the coaching staff and everyone else the club has put alongside me. The players are highly motivated and I'm here to help them bounce back after a season that wasn't up to the standard a club with Inter's history and tradition expects.
"My working methods? It's the way I've always worked and it's brought me excellent results. There is a lot of hard work involved, it's true, but I think they appreciate the way we work. It's a sort of guarantee. With your help we must make our targets become reality. We must be capable of giving anyone a game, get back to being a competitive. The teams I've coached down the years have always been difficult to beat, and they've all been very different to the team I'll be in charge of this year. We must pull out all the stops to get to where we want to be. I'll leave it there because I don't like to talk too much: we need action, not words."
Finally, he commented on the set-up in Trentino: "It's a region that lends itself well to this sort of pre-season work with the team. It's got the right climate, the right organisation, even our hotel... All the facilities are ideal for us to do our jobs as best as possible."
