APPIANO GENTILE - Lots of fans wrote in to Walter Mazzarri. Among them were those who wrote to support him in the way he analysed certain refereeing displays, in the knowledge that the coach never looks for excuses but instead wants to legitimately defend his work and our club: "That fan has said it all, he's right, I thank him because he's touched on some important points, as well as appreciating my initial decision. Lots of people asked me 'why are you going there?' and I replied that it felt right, besides the interview with president Moratti, that Inter's appeal topped the lot, I didn't think twice and I left with great enthusiasm. I work 24 hours a day to get these lads performing."
Did Mazzarri realise how big this club is and what an international environment he was coming into? "Yes, I realised that and I noticed it first when we left Italy and went on our American tour. I saw the difference, Inter are famous, supported and followed all over the world. This is also important for a coach, it's a step up and we all know what we need to do: the more prestigious the club, the higher the expectations, especially in an important moment of the club's history. There are a lot of difficulties but this is another factor that drives me on to do well."
It's not only Mazzarri who comes in for praise from the fans, but also his staff: "I believe the staff give the idea of who the coach is. All the guys who are with me are doers, they're workers. We don't talk the talk, we walk the walk, that's what we're all about. They're quiet guys who don't crave the limelight but they work morning, noon and night to get the best out of this team."
The Nerazzurri coach gets the day off to an early start: "I'm already up and about at 07:00, my staff know that they need to keep their phones on because I can already share my ideas. I reckon they'd say I bust their balls and they'd like to tell me where to go!"
A few fans reel off statistics on Walter Samuel, particularly with regards to the fact that he's won almost all of the derbies he's played in: "I rated him before I came to Inter and I rate him even more now, both as a player and a man. Sadly, he's only just come back, he was out for a long time, and it's unlikely he'll start because I don't think he's got 90 minutes in him. But had I known that sooner, we would have found a system to accommodate him (smiling)! I can't satisfy the fans on Sunday who have asked me to start him, we'll see in the future. Plus Walter is just as important in the dressing room whether he plays or not."
The gaffer also discussed Samir Handanovic: "I've spoken to him as I think it's right to when you rate a goalkeeper of a certain level. I told him to play like he normally does and to relax, he's a consummate professional and he thinks a lot about what he does. I told him to make saves like he normally does, without thinking too much and that way he can go back to making the saves he usually does. I tried to make him feel calm and confident."
Mazzarri then discussed referees, giving his thoughts on games Inter have played with 10 men and unfair decisions: "The facts always speak for themselves. A team that goes down to ten men in modern football is penalised and we've played with a man light in two big games so far. At times like those you can drop points. Just like there are times when you don't play well, you miss chances and the opposition punish you with their first chance, so refereeing decisions can have a huge bearing on the outcome of a match. One-sided decisions? I believe the referee's job is to uphold the laws and they need to be careful that they're consistent with both teams. I believe this is much more important than the odd mistake because they can get something wrong in a matter of seconds. But it's essential they maintain the same approach for the whole match.
"This has happened in several games? I very calmly spoke about these incidents after the game because just like a coach cops flak when he makes mistakes and players are slated when they underperform, it's only fair we say the same about a referee when they apply one rule for one team and another for everyone else. That way they can think about it and improve in the following game. They mustn't get offended because teams can ultimately gain or lose points based on their decisions."
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