APPIANO GENTILE - Following press conferences for Asamoah, De Vrij and Lautaro, it was today Luciano Spalletti’s turn to speak to the press at the Suning Training Centre ahead of the Nerazzurri’s new campaign.
“Serie A was the best league in the world because it aimed to be the best of the best. This allowed the entire division to improve. We must now make the most of Ronaldo’s arrival and ensure that it brings up the entire standard as a whole. Nobody can make us feel inferior.
“Why can’t we do well this year? We’ll manage to build a team that’ll allow us to be on the heels of the strongest teams. Taking into consideration our new arrivals and the work put in by the club, there is now a different appeal as to why players want to come to Inter. They include the results, our performance last season, the club and the city. Football is made up of many hidden opportunities – just look at how last season ended.
“Lautaro is showing that he's a strong player, he's already mature for his age. He does well in getting around defenders and playing on their shoulders. From what I’ve seen so far he seems that he can do well in certain situations and he has a strong character, like all Argentines. Politano dribbles well and is quick with the ball at his feet. De Vrij has international experience and can do things with the ball straight after winning it back. Nainggolan is very easy to read. What you see is what you get with him and that's important for us. Salcedo is like Karamoh in that he's a player you want with the ball at his feet, he wants to go by you. Asamoah is a complete player, he's perfect for sides who want to make steps forward. He already knows what to do."
“Brozovic and Perisic put in a great performance against England and they’ve both made a great contribution. Brozovic could dictate play for his entire team when playing in that position. Ivan is a powerful player from a physical perspective. If there is someone who can match Ronaldo physically then it’s him. He’s got strong stamina and he’s fast, always ready to help out his teammates. They’ve both shown what they can do at this World Cup and are both happy at Inter. They want to do well with us.
“Squad list for the Champions League? The only problem will be having to tell those who’ll not be included. However, the squad list as a whole will be sufficient for all of our competitions. My contract is not an issue. Let’s not invent something that doesn’t exist because there is absolutely no problem. I feel good here and I don’t need agents or lawyers to get involved. There is a good relationship between us and we’re all serious people and we just want to work in the right way.
“I don’t think we’re any worse than anyone else. The squad is stronger this year but there are also other teams who’ve improved. We previously went through a difficult spell where we picked up very few points from around six or seven matches, but we got through it in the end.
“We’ve worked with a four-man defence and we will play like this tomorrow, then we’ll try three or five at the back. Lautaro and Icardi can play together, as like all strong players. They must work together as a team and divide the tasks between them, talking to each other as much as possible. Ivan Perisic will be key because he has incredible physical skills, but he must still venture further forward as much as possible. I expect more from Vecino because last year he struggled a bit with injuries. Candreva was only missing goals, while Mauro can still improve.”
“Without those who left we would not have achieved our goal. To all the players who helped us last year, I want to wish them all the best of luck. We would not be in the Champions League without them - the same also goes for the fans. Rafinha and Cancelo helped us a lot and were committed to these colours in every way. But unfortunately, there are rules to be respected and we have to look at the dynamics of certain situations.”
“The final? I’ll be rooting for Brozovic and Perisic on Sunday.”
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