Benassi: “I will always be grateful for the great confidence Stramaccioni has shown me”

Inter’s Marco Benassi spoke in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport about Sunday’s victory against Catania and the upcoming match in the Europa League against Tottenham: “Against Catania we sent a strong signal, it was an important victory. In the hunt for third place are Lazio, Milan , Roma and Fiorentina, very strong teams. Now we face Tottenham, we are also still in the hunt for Europa League and want to do well.”

He also shared his thoughts about the future: “I have played in Serie A and in the Europa League, I have scored and I am happy. Then we will see what the club decides in June. As a kid I did not think about anything else than the ball. Sometimes, even alone, I went to the park to play.”

Marco Benassi, did you expect a year like this before the season?

“Absolutely not. I was happy when I was called to the first team’s training camp. I took it as a reward for the fine season last year with the primavera, knowing that I would return to Bernazzani (Primaverans coach) when we got back to Milan.”

Instead Strama wanted you with him.

“The coach knows me well, with the Primavera we won NextGen together. Obviously, I owe him a lot, I will always be grateful for the confidence he has shown me.”

Has anyone compared you with Marchisio?

“That is a comparison that flatters me, he is a champion. Actually, I’m more of a regista although I like to move into the spaces left free by defenders.”

Who was your idol as a child?

“Ronaldo and Baggio. I loved the attackers because they scored goals. When I look at my position, today I would say Zanetti, a champion on and off the pitch.”

You debuted as a starter in the game against Pescara. What did you feel?

“An indescribable feeling. I was good at not showing it on the outside, but to come in at the San Siro when the venue is packed makes you breathless.”

From Serie A to your first goal as a professional against Cluj in the Europa League. Feelings?

“The feeling from that moment I will carry with me inside my whole life. There and then I did not even realize what I had done. When the final whistle sounded, I started thinking: ‘But is it true?”

Current events: let’s talk about Cassano.

“As the coach already said, discussions can happen. The atmosphere in the team is calm, everything has been sorted out.”

Source: fcinternews.it