MILAN – From the "Gentleman Christmas Gala", Ivan Ramiro Cordoba answered questions from reporters at the Hotel Melià before joining the rest of the guests and enjoying the lovely evening for charity dedicated to the Pupi Foundation.
Here are his comments:
"I think the Italian league is the most difficult in the world because no game is a given. This team is still improving, as we know. It had to start from the bottom, so it’s normal to have a period like this. Obviously the mentality will always be that of taking to the pitch to get the three points. Of course there are opponents looking to do the same, and in the last two matches the teams we faced did a good job. Are we already playing for third place against Napoli and Milan? It seems too soon to say that, but they are important games and ones that can charge us up even more to get better results. We know Napoli’s quality, but many different things will matter in these games.
"Advice for Icardi? He’s always willing to hear some and he’s a lad you can always talk to. However, what we tell him stays between us. It’s something you do face to face. But he knows better than anyone what he needs to do. We respect his personal choices, but we can give him a lot of professional advice. The club and the coach try to put a kind of shield around the team. So far they’ve done a good job of it. Obviously the presence of president Thohir is important for everyone, but we’re also very focused on what we need to do on the pitch.
"The goals we’ve let in are a question of work, not mentality. You always try to improve, but every situation is different. So this team, which also happens to be young and full of new players, is trying its best to absorb all the things the coach has been teaching over these first few months. There’s still a lot to learn, especially for the many youngsters who are only in their second year in Italy. As I said earlier, Italian football is very difficult. You can’t learn everything overnight. The transfer market? The president and directors will make the best decisions to help the team."
Versión Española 日本語版 Versi Bahasa Indonesia Versione Italiana
