PINZOLO - Roberto Scarpini interviewed Marco Andreolli exclusively for Inter Channel. During the chat they retraced his 7 years away from "home" and the experiences that helped the central defender grow in the Nerazzurri’s youth academy.
Welcome back Marco Andreolli, after 7 years that you spent with Roma, Vicenza, Sassuolo and Chievo Verona. Many matches, and a few goals as well. What does scoring a goal mean to you?
"It’s a great feeling because a defender doesn’t get many opportunities to score a goal. So on the rare occasion when it does happen you feel ecstatic."
You started with a big side and then came back to one, but you matured in some smaller ones along the way. Is this the right road for a young man to take to be able to return to a top team?
"Whether it’s the right road or not I couldn’t tell you, since every young player has to follow his own path. It’s never the same for everyone. This journey here was my own. I reluctantly had to leave this great club 7 years ago because I needed to gain new experience, improve and grow. I think it was a very important path for me, and I feel that going to those smaller teams was a crucial step. Even the year in the Serie B, which was a bit different as an experience since I was practically at a standstill for an entire year due to injury, would be considered a step down by many. But I faced it in the right way and it was something that made me grow even more."
Are hard work and humility two of your greatest qualities?
"When you leave the Primavera team and you’re catapulted into the first team, you’re not even old enough to realise what situation you’re in. So it all seems like a normal step. But then when you find you’re about to leave and say goodbye to what you’ve experienced to head to a smaller team, where you have to start over again, you realise how lucky you were to have been with such a club. And you realise the work you have to do to get the possibility to make it back there again."
You went to Roma in a deal that brought Cristian Chivu to Inter. Now you find him here with Walter Samuel. What kind of defenders are they?
"I have to work hard and learn from them because they’re great champions who have made history with this club by winning everything in recent years. I need to observe them every day, just like I did when I was a youngster. I still have to improve a lot. If players like that, with so much experience, keep trying to improve then you can only imagine what I still need to do at 27 years old. A player at this level should always do everything he can to constantly improve, because the details make the difference. I need to listen to any advice they give me along with the coach’s instructions."
How is it working with Walter Mazzarri? Is he making you work a lot?
"It’s good because you work hard, as you should in pre-season. It’s the most delicate moment of the season because, in addition to perfecting the movements on the pitch, you also have to do a lot for fitness. The coach and all the staff are paying attention to every detail. This was clear from the first few days on the pitch, that they’re aware of every detail from a tactical standpoint as well. In today’s game at this level the details are what make the difference in a match. You have to pay attention to everything, and the coach does this very carefully."
In recent years we’ve seen you play as a right-back in a 4-man defence, and as a centre half on both the right and left side. And in a 3-man defence you’ve played every role. The only one you have left to play is left-back.
"Let’s just say I try to adapt to every position. I’ve always tried to be as willing as possible to do whatever the coach has wanted from me. For a lad who still has to grow, I think having the ability to fill to multiple roles is a feather in my cap. It’s definitely something positive. Although perhaps my preferred position is on the centre left in a 4-man defence, even if it may seem strange because in the attacking phase I use my right. But that’s probably where I’m most comfortable defensively speaking. I always played that position as a youngster."
How has Marco Andreolli changed over the years?
"I had a girlfriend, and I still do, albeit a different one [laughing]. I haven’t learned how to dance, and if I scored I still wouldn’t celebrate by dancing… Perhaps I’ve grown a few inches. I’m 7 years older and my character is different. I’ve matured both on the pitch and off, although it’s not like I was a wild man before. We’ll see what’s still to come…"
Is coming back here like winning a Scudetto for you?
"Actually for me today this feels more like the Champions League. As I stated in a press conference a few days ago, leaving this club was the worst moment of my career, and to manage to make it back again is my Champions League, my World Cup…"
