Tuttosport interviewed Walter Zenga to talk about the situation at Inter. The former Inter goalkeeper, as usual, responded with clear concepts and bluntly.
Zenga. How’s the Italian football seen from Dubai?
“Juve and Roma have no rivals at the moment. Roma has acquired the mentality that allows the team to achieve results through accountability and always wanting to improve every game as an ongoing challenge. The same goes for Juventus.”
Inter and AC Milan, on the other hand, are struggling.
“Well, let’s not forget that between 2010 and 2011, Inter won everything. We are certainly not talking about fifteen years ago, however, I find a substantial difference with Juventus and Roma. There, players like Buffon, Marchisio, Totti, De Rossi and Florenzi are the basis on which the clubs have built something important, while at Inter this missing a little.”
How do you explain, as a manager and Interista, the lack of feelings from fans towards the coach Mazzarri?
“It is difficult to understand because last year his Inter ended up fifth after a ninth place. This year, the Scudetto for Mazzarri will be to return to the Champions League and thus finishing third. As a former Inter player, I would not dare, as others do, to criticize and I think the hiccup against Cagliari will soon be paid off. But I believe that in a club, to get back to winning, there should be synergy and consistency between the five basic components: club, team , coach, press and fans, for this Inter I have not yet seen that.”
By whose example do you follow?
“From Atletico: I was a guest in Madrid of their sporting director Andrea Berta, who I consider one of the best Italian managers, and then I went to my friend at Real, Ancelotti: Valdebebas is a sports center out of this world, seeing Cristiano, Modric, Bale, Benzema and James Rodriguez is crazy, but in the end, Atletico, where Simeone has created a micro cosmos where everyone is rowing in the same direction, has managed to bridge the gap. In Italy an experiment of this type is being carried out by Mihajlovic at Sampdoria. However, we need to see what Ferrero will do after the first defeats…”
Should Mazzarri be helped?
“Yes, he should be helped. Because when things do not work there must be synergy between those famous five components. As soon as you start to play bad, the boos start, well it’s hard to go far.”
Does experiencing a hostile feeling from the fans, make the coach perform worse?
“Yes, when you enter your stadium and feel distrust by those who should support you, you are certainly a bit nervous. Personally, in those cases I prefer to play a thousand miles away from home with eighty people who boo me in my ears: that instead charges me.”
You once said: “If I come back to Inter, I will only do it to coach.” Do you confirm that?
“Yes, absolutely. I have given Inter twenty-two years of my life and Inter gave me the glory. Then it is right go your own way. I don’t think it’s right that, once you quit, you pretend that you give a place of work for what you have done as a player. I will only return to Inter if there is a president there who considers me to be a coach that can handle a great team, not because my name is Walter Zenga.”
On Sunday, the penalty save from Handanovic was celebrated with music and shouts of the speaker the American way. As a former goalkeeper, do you find this annoying?
“The world goes on: twenty years ago, you went to the stadium two hours before to find your place, now you can get there ten minutes from the start of the game and it is right to find new forms of entertainment for the fans. In America these things have always been there and are certainly a nuisance for those who are on the pitch. The ones of Cagliari, on the other hand, they didn’t score?”
Why does there seem to be no place for you in Italy?
“Because I decided to give priority to the family, then the quality of life and ultimately my career. After the experience I had in Palermo I talked with many Italian clubs but I decided to go abroad where there were other stimulating challenges: for four years I have made it to the Asian Champions, and now I’m ready to get back into the game with a club here in Dubai.”
Zenga, we close with a prediction: can Inter reach the Champions League?
“Absolutely. And that is said by the Interista that’s in me.”
Source: fcinternews.it