When can we see another Italian victory? “It’s not enough just being strong, there are other parameters you have to take in as well if you want to win the Champions League. The Barcelona of 2010 was the strongest team that have ever existed, but we beat them. We had been together as a group for years, then arrives Mourinho who, together with Inters organisation made a phenomenal mercato to strengthen the team also in Europe.”
Juventus would like to re-create the Inter of Mourinho. “I believe they still have an obsession of Inter’s treble, I think it stings a lot…But Juventus has a healthy, serious organisation with years and years of preparation, look at the stadium they now own. Allegri, like all Italian coaches, knows how to prepare the team for winning in Europe. But it is difficult to fight against someone who every sixth months spends 100 million Euro to get the best players. Here you have coaches attentive to every detail and that works sometimes, but a team like Barcelona will kill you with quality. The gap has never been this wide.
Roma? “After the first leg I thought they were through, unfortunately they were not able to maintain that spirit for the second leg. These things happen, but an early exit from the Champions League also effects the mercato. And now they are in the Europa League, it’s not easy, takes a lot of energy, you play Thursdays and the trips are long.”
Serie A or Premier League? Your football is fascinating but it lacks stars and profiles. When I came the great ones fought for the Champions League every year. There were people like Maldini, Nesta, Costacurta and Cannavaro, the best defenders in the world and everyone wanted to play against them. They were sources of inspiration. Today Juventus is very strong but with all due respect it’s not the same thing. The inspirational models come from Germany and Spain. In Italy the great ones doesn’t give enough space for the youngsters to come up. The last ones were De Rossi and Aquilani from Roma and Marchisio and Chiellini from Juventus.
Inter of Mourinho lacked youngsters? But there was Mourinho. That year I got injured in the head and didn’t know if I would be able to play again. Three weeks from the final he told me: – You will not play the last two rounds of the championship, I need you in the final. So when the day of the final arrived I was more than prepared. That’s how he is, and it works.”
