As preparation continues ahead of Sunday night’s Milan derby, Inter captain Andrea Ranocchia has been speaking in a pre match press conference on subjects including the win at Verona, how it feels to be captain and of course the match against AC Milan.
How are the lads ahead of the derby?
“We’re confident, we’ve worked well on the back of the victory in Verona which can only be good for morale. Playing a derby at home is an amazing feeling for everyone involved. We need to give our fans something to smile about after a pretty up and down time of it. The derby is always a good chance to make people happy.”
The win at Hellas Verona:
“The coach did the right thing after the Parma game, we didn’t switch off, training on Easter Sunday and preparing for Verona in the best way possible. Samir was brilliant on more than one occasion. We wanted to keep a clean sheet.”
What did you think about Gnoukouri’s debut at Verona?
“I congratulated him after the match because he did well when he came on. Debuts are always tricky but he wasn’t overawed by the occasion. He’ll be ready if the coach calls upon him, I’m sure of that. He’s a quality player.”
How does it feel to be the Inter captain?
“Zanetti left me with a great legacy, I learned a lot from him. The first year as captain isn’t easy but I’ve come on a lot in that regard. Criticism comes with the job and when things aren’t going well it’s only natural that the captain be put to the test. The derby is a special match. Zanetti and all the other greats I have played with in the past have gave me a clear idea of what this game is all about. We’ll do everything we can to get Inter back to where the club belongs.”
Ranocchia finally concluded with this:
“My best derby? The one this Sunday. Being captain is a great responsibility, I’m lucky to have this opportunity and I want to hang on to it. If I score, I’ll buy everyone dinner.”
Source: inter.it