MILAN – The third and final part of Walter Mazzarri's media conference at the Stadio Meazza.
"I set out to start building something from the start here. We've already seen some results and you can't ignore the numbers: this was the best Inter team of the last three years and that's not a minor detail. Obviously I want the club to be clear with me, with the fans and with you. When everything is set out clearly then you have a chance to do well; then you can assess everyone's work properly. Up to now I've seen mutual respect and openness, that makes me hopeful for the future.
"It's always up to the club to make their choices. I thank my closest assistants and they'll definitely stay on. I do have a say in the people the club gives me to work with but I don't make the final choice. After doing this job for ten years I've realised that a club has its own men that it wants. I give my opinion on what I'd like so that I can work well, but I'm not the president and I can't hire or fire anyone. I have clear ideas about what I want, but a coach who has produced a certain type of football with certain players can change things a bit. It depends on who he has to work with.
"Why don't I play Kovacic in the deep-lying role? If I put him in front of the defence and he beats his man, then what does he do? He has to pass it. If you've got quality you're better off using it further forward. For example, Hamsik was playing well in the hole and it was suggested he could play further back but then you would have had to balance things out because he wouldn't have scored the 12 goals he did. The team is a jigsaw, lots of different elements you have to put together to get a result for the whole. This year Kovacic played a key role for the team at the end of the season, providing two assists against Lazio for example. If he plays deeper than someone else needs to play higher up, carry the ball forward and create chances.
"What will I do on holiday? I haven't even thought about that yet, it's always the case at the end of the season, you have other things to think about. I will take 10 days or so off though. Study English? That's one thing I don't have time for. You know, my English has actually got worse. 15 years ago I was working as a scout going round the world and I spoke it fairly well. It's got a bit rusty since then but I still have the basics.
"Could Inter do without Guarin next season? It depends on how I decide to play and who comes in. I make choices and when I have players available I assess things. When we meet up again at La Pinetina on 4 July we'll have already done some of our transfer business and we'll see then.
"Can I consider myself an Interista after a year here? After a year I understand the Inter world better and I think I understand how certain things work. I hope to be successful not so much so I can celebrate but so that I have fewer problems during the week, as that also affects my personal life. If the team isn't doing well, supporters get angry and I'm as upset as anyone because I know how important it is to people.
"If you look at the figures, we're the wooden spoon winners for penalties and other big decisions. We spent a lot of time in the opposition area and we recorded some incredible stats as far as posts, crossbars and corners are concerned. We were unlucky, hopefully it will turn for us next season. I'm not interested in why certain decisions were made, these are just the facts and it's part and parcel of the game.
"I can say that I'm satisfied with the year. The statistics help me to understand where we have to improve. Of the top five we're one of those which played the most youngsters along with Roma and Napoli. And if you factor in the injury problems that Juan Jesus and Icardi had, and the fact that Kovacic was used increasingly throughout the course of the season, we'd probably be first or second. In any case I think these lads – and Ranocchia, who isn't as young as those three but who I came to see in a different light – will have a good platform to build on next season."
