APPIANO GENTILE – On the day he turns 37, Dejan Stankovic has revealed the emotions running through his head as his first Milan Derby in the role of club manager fast approaches.
"This Milan Derby is going to be very different to the ones I've experienced before. As a player, when derby week came around, you immediately felt something was different. Without realising it, everything was put on high alert. This doesn't mean the other matches mean less, it's just the feeling of this game is unique. Even now as a member of the management team, I can feel the pressure and the tension after going through the transfer window and all these months of preparation.
"We've watched every single training session, so we're excited to see the progress the guys have made. A bit of nerves and tension at the moment are a positive thing. The guys upstairs have done some fantastic work in the transfer market and I'm sure the coach will call on all his ability and experience to put the team in the right frame of mind and select the best line-up. We definitely shouldn't judge Inter after this game alone, but I cannot wait to experience it. That's my overriding emotion at the moment."
You've experienced so much joy in the derbies you played in, like the one under Roberto Mancini in 2006. What are your best memories from this rivalry?
"I went through both joy and despair in my first-ever derby. I scored directly from a corner, but then we lost the game in additional time. I played in games where we've totally dominated AC Milan, like the 4-0 victory in August 2009 that will stay in the history books forever. We were magical right from the very first minute that day. My celebration in 2006 actually came from training the day before. We were practising free-kicks and Mancini was making fun of me because I couldn't put the ball where I wanted. As it happened, I did everything in that match: I got an assist for the first goal, then I scored a stunner for the second and I chipped in with another assist for the third. Celebrating like that was a way of saying: 'Here I am, Mancini! Did you see that?'"
How much grit and determination do you need to play in this fixture? How do you transmit the right energy to the players?
"You need to show calmness and control, everything else the player has to have inside of them. The most important thing is controlling your emotions: you need to have blood pumping through your heart, but stay ice-cold in your mind. Not the other way round because then you risk doing something you can't put right. When I was playing, I saw footballers who weren't able to cope with the pressure and couldn't give everything they had. But this is the derby, you never know what will happen and who will step up to be counted. That's what makes it great."
Sinisa Mihajlovic will be sat on the opposing bench. How does it feel to come up against a good friend of yours when you've won so much together?
"We have been through so many battles, at the San Siro but also for our national side and with Lazio. We've had some great moments, but there have also been tough times. He's a role model for me in my private life. He's more than a friend, he's the godfather to my children. I would say he's a more like an older brother or an uncle and I have so much respect for him. He realises this too and thinks highly of me. Sinisa knows the real Deki, he knows what I'm made of and that will always be the case. I'm happy for him because he started from the bottom and now he's been given a chance at a big club, despite still being a young coach. A few years ago I said: 'Just wait and see, Sinisa will coach a top team'. And I was right. For ninety minutes on Sunday, I'll be trying to beat him. I want to win and enjoy the victory, but after the final whistle life goes on and there's more besides football."
How important is the strength of the group during a derby? How much can looking around at your team-mates on and off the pitch really help?
"Seeing a sense of certainty in your team-mates' eyes is so important. On the other hand, if you see a fellow player who looks a bit lost or scared, it's the right time to give him a pat on the back and a bit of support. This can happen during games, you can go through a difficult period that can sometimes last for days. After all, we're not robots. This is when you really have to stay together as a team. In these kinds of games, the group is by far the most important thing, on the pitch as well as off it. I'm referring to everybody who works with the team and what they do behind the scenes on a daily basis. This is something I have first-hand experience of now. Every person needs to give everything they have to improve the players' performances on the pitch."
What role do the fans have to play in a game like this and what message would you like to send to those in the stands?
"Our fans really are experts in derbies and big games. Over the years, their support has made our hair stand on end on more than one occasion. I always say that the Milan Derby is like a show at the Teatro alla Scala: it only happens once or twice a year, but it's a beautiful occasion when it does. Our fans have always been spectacular. They have always stuck by us, even during the hard times. That's something I can say as someone who is Inter through and through."
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