ANDRIA – This evening at the Palasport in Andria, Walter Mazzarri was on hand to receive the Mediterraneo Award for the presentation of his book "Il meglio deve ancora venire", written with journalist Alessandro Alciato, and the Inter coach took some time to speak to Sky Sport Italia:
"A chance for me to relax? I was very surprised by the warm welcome. It made me very happy. Puglia is a region that I seldom visit but I want to return because it’s worth it. The people are very warm here. Perhaps I don’t really need it to relax, because I believe I know how to manage everything. But taking a break every now and then is a good thing."
Many Nerazzurri fans are wondering about Inter’s objectives for the season: "The Scudetto? I spoke with the fans and they had a very clear question. We discussed what I’ve won in my career and how I’m still missing a Scudetto, which I hope to add as soon as possible. But we’re at the beginning of a new cycle and we don’t want to lead anyone on. We started with the idea of creating a winning mentality and improving the environment and other things. We’re going with youth, and they represent Inter’s future. These are the things we’re aiming to do as soon as possible."
Regarding the transfer market: "The club is working within certain parameters, and it’s clear we have to accept what we can do at this particular moment. I believe we’ve all been working well when it comes to these parameters. We’re looking to set up a competitive squad, and more than that we want to make sure the players in the squad feel motivated. I believe having a large number of players doesn’t contribute to this feeling, which is why we wanted this number for our squad for this reason. Have Lavezzi and Borini been put on hold until January? That’s a question for the directors. The transfer market is closed. Tomorrow we’re going to start training again and we’re not going to think about transfers. We’ll focus on the games."
What combination of youth and experience should the team have? What objective has Walter Mazzarri set for himself? "We have to start on the basis that a game consists of two teams, and the match is no fun to watch until things start to open up. Torino’s strength, Ventura’s skill and having less pressure to earn the three points changed things. After Sunday’s match we need to look at the glass as half full. We’ll see how many teams manage to win at the Stadio Olimpico. You can’t underestimate the opponent. A draw is fine when you consider the side we played against. When our form becomes sharper and we’ve got back all our important players, especially in attack, I believe we’ll be able to play some attractive football, as we did in pre-season and the Europa League.
Regarding Fredy Guarin: "This year we’re in the Europa League group stage and everyone will have the chance to show what they can do. I’ll make my choices regardless of anyone else. If Guarin deserves to play ahead of someone that is playing now I’m not going to make an exception to get him to play. We’ll be playing every three days and we’ve already seen the problems that brings. He’ll be among the squad of 23, which is just about the right number for the three competitions we want to compete in the best we can. He’s always wanted to stay at Inter and he was on the market because of management choices. However, I’m convinced he’s very happy to have remained here, and we’re very happy to have him.
"Where can he be the most productive? If we look at his matches from last season he did his best when he played behind the forwards. We should consider him as an attacking midfielder. A trequartista or a fourth forward. He’s a player that needs to be fielded in those roles above all. In other positions in which he also could have played, we’re depending a lot on Kovacic and Hernanes. That’s why I believe he can do well as an extra forward and closer to the goal, where he’s free to roam."
The coach then went back to discussing the first league match and his verdict on the draw: "In this environment it only takes one match to celebrate and another to become depressed. Right now I believe Torino is one of the most difficult places to begin your season in. They’ve played three more matches than we have and are more fine-tuned right now. We’ll see how easy it is for other teams to win there against them. But that’s something we’ll see over time. It’s not possible to know right now. Despite the problems we had, the last-minute additions, the absences in attack – Osvaldo was only at 50% and had to leave the national team today because of a problem, I was forced to use him sparingly because I knew very well he was an injury risk. Despite all of this I believe a draw at Torino is something you can’t underestimate. At any rate, we’re only going to regard the criticism we deem to be constructive."
Many teams such as Napoli, Roma and Juventus have added reinforcements. Are they a step ahead of the others? "To give a general evaluation you have to start with the way last season ended. The top three were stronger but we also have to consider the transfer market. Fiorentina had a great season, and then you have teams like AC Milan. It’s not possible to say right now. I have to focus on getting the best out of the players I have available to me, which I’ve always done."
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