Stramaccioni: “Cagliari should not be underestimated because they can cause us trouble”

Dagens presskonferens med Stramaccioni.
Stramaccioni’s press conference from today.

Cagliari is obviously a team on the rise, a difficult opponent to deal with.
“The work that Cagliari have done since Pulga and Lopez came is there for all to see. They do well, besides the results, they perform well. Despite the loss in Florence, especially in the first half, they played excellent football. Perhaps the Viola’s best effort on the field. They have a proven defense, they change it rarely and the historical defense is noticeable.”

How do you restart after Bergamo?
“It was not a reduced Inter that left Bergamo. We were punished for individual situations and events. We made it a game of it and did not deserve to lose, while Atalanta deserve praise. I have not seen that it affected the morale of the team and I hope the loss of points gives us an extra boost in tomorrows game. It is an important game and we have to start winning again.”

Return to a three-man defense? How is Sneijder doing?
“Now we have fewer that are unavailible in comparison to the previous Sunday. Therefore Inter will go out on the pitch with greater security because we will be sending out those that give us more confidence when it comes to how the game will turn out. Sneijder feels better, but I decided not to call him.”

What type of loss was it against Atalanta?
“The kind of loss that gives you lots because you want to win again. Against Siena, on the other hand, it was a fiasco.”

What do you think of the altercation between Conte and Cassano?
“I do not know. My position has always been balanced and lucid, after Juventus-Inter, I heard a little too much talk about Inter. We have responded through Branca and Cassano who have said what they think. But I like to talk about football, we are united and go our own way.”

Coutinho, could he be another weapon?
“Sure, he has the special qualities. For me it is an advantage to have several different options ahead of the game who have different qualities to change our offensive. If you can switch between different players and keep the same efficiency, it is a good thing.”

What about il tridentone?
“It is true that when we put out three men in attack, no matter who, we have a dangerous offensive totally. The other seven players, however, also play a role. We cannot play every game with a Tridente, not least because of the opponents. Tomorrow we have to go in and do a good performance, no matter if we have three men in the attack or not. Cagliari should not be underestimated because they can cause us trouble.”

How did those that came back from their national teams look? Some issues that they are in physical top form now and then lose it later?
“The games with the national teams clearly put our players, especially the two Argentines and the two uruguayans, in situations with travels that are troublesome. This is a part of the game, on Thursday, they were not on top, but they have been able to recover and I hope that they will not feel tired on Sunday. Regarding preparations, everything has gone as I hoped, we have been able to qualify for the next round of the Europa League, which means that we can handle two midweek matches in a different way. A good advantage. But on the form I have not seen that Inter got into difficulties during the last ten minutes, which is usually a good measuring stick for the team.”

Do you want the team to act in a particular way to send a signal on Sunday?
“I would not say ‘I knew it.’ but in Bergamo we saw the risks it entails to make changes. We were subjected to the risks and it was far too easy for them to create chances against us. Atalanta created dangers against us, even with less effort. We have to work so much more, even if we could not handle the game in Bergamo differently. We could have taken the lead after 1-1 but that’s the beauty of football. Then there was the unfortunate penalty. I created no dramas or demanded investigations it was no use. We have to go in to get a result and it will not be easy, we focus on that. We will be charged to win, but will be mindful of Cagliari. Having said that, I repeat that I did not see anything in Bergamo that could be called issues.”

There is talk of physical problems for Juve. But Inter then, that started the season before them?
“I have not seen that Juventus have cooled down. Against us, they played at a high pace until Palacio scored 3-1. Claiming that Inter’s victory was because Juve are in decline makes me smile. There are those who look at things more balanced and then there are those who instead say that you were not as good as the others when you win. To me this is now history, we must think about the games we have ahead of us and not those we have behind us. We go our own way but I cannot see that the other teams are cooling down.”

What about Guarin? How many minutes can Mariga play?
“Guarin has worked hard to come back today because he feels good and therefore is a little tired. Were it not for the national team, we could risk him, but for Colombia we will let him rest until he is one hundred percent. I think he will will be back against Kazan. Mariga wanted to recover strongly and if he is needed, he will be ready. He will only play in the league since he is not availible the Europa League.”

With Samuel from the start there will be few problems. How is he and Ranocchia doing?
“I think that Walter is the best defender at Inter, I think so even objectively. He is also a leader defensively with his experience. But even with him on the pitch, we have had problems, such as during the beginning of the season. So you will not win only with individuality. When the opponent has two dangerous players centrally, we find our strength with three defenders. If there is a central striker, then we can start the game another way.”

Duncan, how he can contribute at the moment?
“Alfred is my great sorrow. It’s the guy that I managed to give too few minutes in comparison to how much I respect him. There has always emerged situations where I have decided not to use him, the responsibility is mine alone. For us, he important, we will explore later in the year if it is smarter to send him on loan as we have done with Longo. The fact that I have not been able to put him on the list for the Europa League has made it difficult for me to give him more playing time. It pleases me that he had been called to the national team, it confirms what I’m thinking.”

Do you expect to be able to take a quick step away from defeat by winning tomorrow?
“We want to win again, strongly. Tomorrow Cagliari is the worst possible opponent we could have got. We will try to win and they could be the perfect opponent to do damage. I know this because we’ve been training for a week. Tomorrow we will try to take charge of the game and face the opponents strengths.”

Source: fcinternews.it