interpersempre.com

I CAN'T TAKE THIS!

"The team is now scared by the standings (second to last).  Three out of four penalties were not there and I hope anti-Inter bonuses which are the refereeing mistakes against Inter is over."

MORATTI SAYS ENOUGH

"Mistakes and penalties.  Referees, is the anti-Inter over?"

"The standings scare the players, but I believe in Ranieri and the shock (for new life) that will be Sneijder."

President Moratti, if you look at the standings and see Inter in the second to last place, what do you think?  A nightmare?

"I can only think about the bad.  It occurs to me that we had four penalties against us and three of them were invented (alluding to Bologna, Napoli and Catania) and two out of those three were decisive.  It is not a nice thing and at this point, we hope, there is the consciousness to understand that so far decisions against Inter are hardly an exaggeration."

And if you don't just look at the negative stuff?

"I try to think that everyone is going so slow that being one from bottom or 7th is almost the same. But..."

But?

"But it is true that the standings is very bad.  So bad that I think it has a negative influence on the players.  To them, this is a new situation and I think they are a bit scared."

So when Zanetti said that the mentality should changed he meant that that fear has to go away?

"In Catania, the team played wisely in the first half with common sense.  Then, when Catania scored, it was as if we were scared.  The psychological and even physical limitations started to emerge."

These days, which one is more?  Physical or psychological?

"I think the two are quite related.  Even against Napoli, and then also in Catania, in the second half there was a decline, but the impact also deepened with the penalty kicks that were not there.  When you win you feel that you have stronger legs, right?"

Other Inter in... fear:

1. Gigi Radice led Inter's 1983-84 group. That side holds the black and blue record for the... poorest start in the first six games.

2. Osvaldo Bagnoli was during training camp in 1993-94.  Inter, passed to Marini, was salved on the second last matchday but won the UEFA Cup.

But Ranieri admitted: "This team needs to good on condition."  Wouldn't it be wrong to underestimate certain limits, athletically, at the moment?
"Of course it would be wrong.  But I also think that it is not an insurmountable problem with a range of 20-25 players."

When was this team not decimated by injuries?

"The national teams, more than once, did not give us a hand.  For the rest, we are not a young team on average and we have changed the coach, no, coaches.  When Ranieri has his hands on this team solely and conclusively, the situation will stabilize."

In the meantime, have you heard from Ranieri?

"He's well because he knows how to defuse and deal with any situation with calmness but at the same time carefully and without fear.  Also, he has a good understanding with the group and will continue to believe that this is a strong team.  Now that he knows each player better he will make choices based on his experience."

With him, the team won two games in a row but then it is jammed?
"Beyond the fact that against Napoli and Catania, the games were distorted, I think Ranieri only has had time to do only the first step, which is allowing the players to be recognized for what they do on the field.  Now he must help them regain a certain "rhythm", which is not only about our plays."

Agree if we say that today the only player that Inter cannot afford to give up is Sneijder?
"Oh yes, Sneijder is indispensable because he makes us go to another game speed, gives us a special rhythm, brings liveliness, and I miss him the most.  In football, what matters most is not running fast but letting the ball go fast and Sneijder knows how to make it go faster."

Alvarez, a little less?
"But vs Catania I thought he wasn't bad at all. You must remember that he still has - how can I put this - a different pace, and he often comes on at difficult times.  And let's not forget that we didn't signed him to be a regular first team player: he's a young kid to invest in, hoping that he'll become the real deal."

Champions League is already tomorrow: one more pain in the ass or a game that can restart?

"For me, doing well in the Champions League is an obligation.  I consider it as one more chance which can help us restart."

In such a delicate moment, what can a president say to his players?  Or better: what will Moratti say?
"Now, the team, firstly, must be encouraged: empowering the most experienced players, asking youngsters to give all of their freshness, trying to convey optimism."

But you, nevertheless, still manage to be optimistic like when you chose Ranieri?

"I have never managed to be optimistic at all costs even when we won everything.  Let's say that I am confident because I trust the coach, the players and also in the fact that the referees have a fair share of mistakes against us."

Source: Gazzetta dello Sport