APPIANO GENTILE - Felipe Melo has reiterated his desire to win silverware with Inter, stressing how happy he is at "the best team in Italy".
Hosted on today's episode of InterNos – the Inter Channel show where players answer questions sent in by the fans – the Brazilian began by discussing his role as one of the 'leaders' in the team.
"It's great to be a leader at a club like Inter," he said. "Although obviously it comes with pressure because this is a big club.
"We've done well so far. We're up near the top of the table and we want to keep on improving. We're trying to do that because we really want to win something."
Then came some questions about recent criticism that has come Inter's way following defeats to Lazio and Sassuolo.
The midfielder replied: "In the first of those games we only lost to a penalty – a mistake. A player of my experience shouldn't be committing that sort of foul but we can all make a mistake - we're human.
"On another day our match against Sassuolo might have finished 5-1 to us but you can't win every game. Apart from those two defeats we're doing very well. You get criticism because there are people who don't want to see us two points off the top."
Asked whether he might see out his career at Inter, the 32-year-old said: "I signed a three-year contract and I did everything I could to make this move happen, giving up money too. It's a dream for me to be here. None of that stuff in the papers about me leaving is true."
Does he think about a possible Brazil recall? "I do think about it and it's one of the reasons I joined Inter. I'm working hard to try and earn another call-up to the Seleçao and I'm grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to play for the best team in Italy."
The pace of the interview then picked up, with the questions and answers coming thick and fast.
Who's your favourite team-mate? "I get on with everyone. Nagatomo cracks me up. He's so funny as well as being a great professional."
The most promising youngster? "He's not playing at the moment, partly because of the injury he had, but Dodo is top-quality and he works very hard too. Sooner or later, his time will come."
The best midfielder you've ever played with? "'Rambo' Petkovic – his ability was just amazing. I also got to play against my idol, Veron – I really rate him. The same goes for Simeone, who's now a turned into a really good coach."
Melo ended by casting his eye forward Inter's upcoming games and the rest of the season, which begins with an away match at Atalanta on Saturday.
"It's never easy to go to Bergamo. It's a shame I'm suspended because I've often scored against them in the past. I do miss playing but I've made the most of this extended spell to work really hard.
"We've started the season well and now we want to finish it well."
