Ahead of tomorrow night’s Inter vs Roma match (kick off 20:45 CET), Inter coach Roberto Mancini has been talking to reporters in his pre match press conference.
Here is what the coach has said as Inter seek a first home win since beating Palermo 3-0 two and a half months ago.
Tomorrow night’s match against Roma?
“Roma have had a much better season than us, although they’ve also had some tough spells. We’ve improved a lot, but we’ve not got the results we wanted. Matches between Inter and Roma in the last ten years have always been important.”
Your aim for the rest of the season?
“We want to build consistency after our performances against Verona and Milan. It’ll be a tough match against Roma as they are fighting for second place.”
European hopes?
“It’s not down to us, there are a lot of teams ahead of us. Whilst there are still points on the table, you have to keep the faith that you can get there. Let’s start by winning tomorrow’s match, then we’ll see.”
Planning for the future?
“President Thohir is determined to build a great Inter side. That’s very important. He’s always very clear, sometimes deals go through and sometimes they don’t.”
Are you not convinced by Xherdan Shaqiri?
“We bought Xherdan in January because we believe he has a big future ahead of him. Over the course of the season, some players have a dip in their fitness and others improve. Shaqiri is a great player and we have total confidence in him. He’s dropped off a bit in the last couple of weeks, but there’s absolutely no problem there. It’s just been a technical decision from me.”
The youngsters coming through at Inter?
“I want to congratulate Stefano Vecchi and all his staff. Gnoukouri is here because of them. He’s a good player, doesn’t feel the pressure and has enormous scope for improvement. He’s stepped up for us, did well coming on against Verona and had a good derby. He’s a player for the future.”
“I think a few other young players will make their debuts so we can weigh up who’s going to be part of our next squad. Camara, Di Marco and Correia will certainly get their chance.”
Nemanja Vidic has improved his form?
“He’s really improved physically over the last few weeks. Like any player of his age, he needs to work hard to reach optimum fitness. Everyone needs to give their all.”
The transfer market, Yaya Toure?
“Yaya Toure is a Manchester City player and they’re a massive club. I don’t know whether there’s a chance, but I think that given that Yaya has played in almost every European league, maybe it’s important to him to come to Italy. Inter are an important club, not just any old club. He can play anywhere in midfield.”
Finally Mancini closes with a message for Inter fans:
“I want to thank the fans for the choreography in the Derby. Football should always be like that, beautiful.”
Source: inter.it
