On the eve of the Europa League match in Glasgow, where Roberto Mancini’s Inter will face Ronny Deila’s Celtic for the first leg of the knockout phase of the tournament. From the newsroom of Celtic Park, the coach from Jesi spoke to the reporters present, among them our colleagues from FcInterNews.it, revealing his expectations of this match. Here are his statements:
Situation of the group:
“We only have two injured players who are not here, D’Ambrosio and Andreolli; other than them everyone is here.”
Feelings about the opponent:
“Celtic is a very good team, playing the ball on the ground. It will be a difficult match, because they have good players.”
Do you remember when Deila watched your City?
“Yes, well, it happened a few years ago, he is young but he is a great manager who knows how to make his team play. What we said, though, I don’t remember. So many young coaches have observed the workouts of my City, for Deila it was an important experience.”
On the importance of the Europa League:
“It’s very important and difficult, there are many important teams. Already tomorrow we will face Celtic, which is a very good team, there will be a great atmosphere. We hope to go all the way.”
Will the match against Celtic be an important step for the development of the team?
“It will be important, not a lot will change because our mentality needs to improve every game. Tomorrow will be a different match because it will be played for 180 minutes, we will have to be more clever and understand situations. But it will be important to improve.”
What are the differences between league and cup against an Anglosaxon team? Are you considering a change of formation and inserting someone ready for a competitive battle?
“It will be a different game compared to the league, it will also be played against a very physical team and we will be ready on the same level. We will decide tomorrow, we are recovering from Sunday. But there’s this chance.”
How important is this competition on a personal level for you as a coach?
“We hope to reach the end, for many reasons. But now we have to think about this match, it is hard to think about the final. There are four rounds, it’s a long way to go. We need to focus on this match and try to go through, then we’ll see along the way. But we hope to reach the end, that’s what we all hope for.”
Deila said that the atmosphere at Celtic Park will count a lot:
“It is only right that Celtic counts on its fans, but I think this is a milestone if we want to become better. On the pitch it is equal for all, the atmosphere will have to give something more to us as well.”
Are you surprised by the more technical playing style of Celtic? Is it a way for Scottish teams to improve in the European Cups?
“I think it’s better for them to play as Celtic does. Scottish football has improved, therefore they can win some silverware. I know Celtic, they have several good players.”
Will be Kovacic’s night?
“Hopefully it will be our night in general, then I hope it will be Mateo’s because he has great quality and in a game like this that can be important.”
Are you proud to coach a team against which the Celtic wrote a page of important history?
“I’m proud to coach Inter and happy to play this match, the atmosphere that will be there is something extraordinary that we have lost in Italy. I will be even more so if our fans will be happy.”
Will there be room for Vidic considering he is someone who knows this kind of football?
“After Sassuolo Vidic has had physical problems, now he has practices 5-6 days with the team and should be fine. If he doesn’t play from start he can come in handy during the match.”
Source: fcinternews.it
