MILAN – "I love the #milionidinomi campaign as the fans are fundamental for us. Inter fans are special and we need their support, not just for the derby," was the battle cry with which Xherdan Shaqiri kicked off his press conference this lunchtime.
The Swiss forward couldn’t hide his excitement at the prospect of playing in his first Milan derby: "There’s a very positive, special vibe. The tension is rising and you can feel that there’s a different atmosphere around the city. We know that it’s a vital match and have great desire to win it. The stadium will be packed and it’s my first derby, of course. I’m expecting a wonderful night and we want to make our fans happy by beating AC Milan."
Shaqiri also gave his opinion on his first few months in Serie A: "Italian football is different but I’ve had no real problems in settling in. Mancini expects me to make the difference and in that regard the help of my team-mates is vital. It’s not been a season to remember but Inter are a massive club and we want to get back to winning ways next season. We need to be in the Champions League, that’s our natural habitat."
Conversation soon swung back to Sunday’s derby: "Our mentality will be massively important, as will our technical level. We need to go out there with maximum motivation and force our opponents to respect and fear us. We want to create a psychological boost to help us get back to being a leading European power. With the arrival of other important players, we’ll be able to cut the gap with the other sides, but Mancini and his team know what to do to get us back to the top."
Versión Española 日本語版 Versi Bahasa Indonesia Versione Italiana
