APPIANO GENTILE – Walter Mazzarri has admitted that Ricky Alvarez's injury is a problem he would have happily done without as Inter head into the match against Torino. Speaking to reporters at a news conference before tomorrow's Week 8 fixture in Turin, the coach was asked how he intends to replace the Argentine. "Kovacic is one possibility but I must say it's a shame Alvarez isn't fit. When a team is looking for its own identity and everyone is playing well it's much better if those players don't get injured. But Kovacic is one of the options I have and in any case I'm confident about whoever comes in to replace Ricky. Guarin in the hole? I tried that out in the States. With the physical and technical attributes he has, he could find it hard receiving the ball in a certain way. Guarin is making progress and learning to do what I want from him spontaneously. I wouldn't rule anything out between now and May but it would be wrong to confuse him by giving him a different job to do right now."
Then a question that was slightly more off-theme, with Mazzarri asked what "an old-school coach" thought about footballers using Facebook and Twitter: "I don't think being old school or not has much to do with it. In my view football should be done in a different way. There are rules and things the players shouldn't bandy about. But if that's the way the world is nowadays then you have to accept it. We try to take precautions in the dressing room by telling the lads how they should behave."
The coach was of course also probed for his thoughts on recent developments at club level. "We have complete faith in the president. We know what he's done and what he wants to do for Inter, so we know that whatever decisions he takes are in the club's best interest. That's all we need to know. Will it motivate us even more? I'm always motivated and I try to instil the same mentality in my players. In terms of our performance and unity of purpose, the team is perfectly capable of moving forwards regardless of what happens."
Asked if he'd imagined what a phone call with Erick Thohir would be like, aside from the possible language difficulties, Mazzarri replied: "I do speak English actually! I paid my dues and spent time working as a scout abroad... and I always managed to make myself understood. I may not be perfectly fluent but I don't think other Italian coaches are that much better than me when they speak other languages abroad.
"I like to think I know where my place is at a club and what I should or shouldn't do to stay within my limits. I've never been the one who calls the club owners; it's them who call me and I'm available 24 hours a day. They call me because I work for them. I don't have to do anything. In 12 or 13 years of coaching I've always felt comfortable and done a good job and I think that's what matters to any employer. If Thohir calls me, I'll answer. For the time being I haven't noticed anything different. Branca and Ausilio were here yesterday and Moratti called. In real terms nothing has really changed for us yet."
The reporters then tried to back Mazzarri up against a wall and tease some info out of him about the line-up he intends to put out tomorrow. He explained: "I have lots of things to look at in our last training session, like the players who have been away and their current fitness, but that's something I always do regardless of whether we've just lost to Roma. I pick my team based on how the players did in the previous game and how well they've been working in training. Pondrelli and I will run the final tests today and then I'll decide which options offer me the best guarantees on paper."I need to think about things in attack - the second striker behind Palacio that is. Palacio would have played even if Milito had been fit. And another who'll definitely start is Jonathan: he's fully fit again now, he's trained well and he's fresh. Icardi however is still some way off full fitness; in fact he's never been properly fit. He has some niggling problems which affect the way he trains and he doesn't have 90 minutes in him. If he started the match, I'd have definitely have to take him at half time and I can't afford to do that at the moment. Belfodil is in pretty good shape but he offers a totally different set of attributes."
There was also a question about Toro full-back Danilo D'Ambrosio, who is rumoured to be in Inter's sights: "If D'Ambrosio plays we will be keeping a close eye on him, yes, but only with regard to what he does in tomorrow's match," the coach replied.
Finally, a word on Zanetti's bid to return to full fitness. "From what I've seen he's doing very well. Even when he's running you can't tell he's on his way back from a major injury. I'm sure he'll soon be available for selection. We'll see what sort of form he's in as we go along."
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