APPIANO GENTILE - "Inter are focusing on team play, which is what matters most of all. The important thing is that the team play football and score goals. We’re a side that is making progress. I can see that the fans understand this and I thank them for it. Now we’ll try to show consistency." This was something Walter Mazzarri wanted to stress during the press conference.
It was then pointed out to the coach that, after the holiday break, Inter have not traditionally enjoyed a positive run in recent years: "You can’t read too much into that tradition. For my part, I’ve always set up the holiday programme like this, and it’s always paid off for me. Three wins and just one loss with Napoli. At any rate, I don’t look just at the result. I’m interested in seeing that the players take to the pitch using both their heads and their feet. When choosing the line-up will I take into consideration the fact that the South American players arrived two days after the others? When I make my plans I give a lot of emphasis to motivation and responsibility. We’re starting from a clean slate, also because everyone has demonstrated that they’ve done exactly what they needed to do."
Regarding the line-up, Mazzarri was asked about certain players, such as Kuzmanovic. "He plays on the outside in a 3-man midfield, and I’ve also tried him at the deepest position. He’s a lad who can cover many roles and has good experience. He can help me out in all three positions. I don’t know how many minutes he’ll get though. We’ll see."
And on Kovacic, the coach explained: "I have the impression he’s making the kind of progress I want him to in order to be able to help the team. He’s starting to understand certain things that will be very important to him. I’m confident in seeing some serious progress."
Mazzarri then touched upon an initial assessment, although he explained that it will be necessary to wait: "When considering how things stood in the summer we have to be happy with these points right now. But I kick myself when I look back and see how we could have 3-4 more points. I’m certainly confident my team can only improve. And then points don’t always tell the whole story on a team’s performances. I believe the least the team can do is play the way they’ve played so far. We’re also working with our youngsters. It’s a maturing squad, and usually the more time we spend together the more progress we make."
Then came the inevitable questions on the transfer market, which – as usual – Mazzarri wasn’t interested in discussing: "D’Ambrosio? I’m not discussing any players not on our squad. Pereira and Wallace are on their way out? I’m not going to say a word about the transfer market."
And last, a question on Juventus v Roma and which side the Nerrazurri coach plans to cheer for. "I only cheer for my team and think only about Inter. We’re focusing on ourselves, and every match for us is a final."
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