Former Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni discussed his time at the Nerazzurri in an interview in today’s paper edition of the Milano based newspaper Corriere della Sera.
The Italian coach wouldn’t have expected that fans would be so keen for him to remain as the coach of Iranian side Esteghlal.
“I confess, not even in my wildest fantasies.”
He also admitted that he didn’t realise how passionate football fans were in Iran.
“It’s true. When the Esteghlal offer arrived, the first thing I thought was: Iran?!?”
Stramaccioni wasn’t bothered by criticism given to him.
“If an older coach has criticised me for not being good or up to it, I accept and respect everyone’s opinions. But if they tell me that ‘I haven’t done my best’ I laugh, because unlike most of those who coach in Serie A or B, I’ve never played as a professional, I don’t have relatives or friends who have experienced football at great levels, I have two parents who are teachers, I started to coach at the age of 23 on the pitches on the outskirts of town in an amateur youth team that doesn’t even exist anymore, it was called Az Sport and sometimes we struggled to get to 11 players… In short, let’s agree on what this blessed place is.”
The 43-year-old touched on his relationship with former Inter president Massimo Moratti.
“The person to whom I owe everything. Only those who have never talked about football with Massimo Moratti cannot understand his level of competence.”
He joked that it was impossible to refuse the Inter job, even if it was early in his career.
“Could I ever have said no to Moratti? Let’s not joke… As Totò used to say, ‘I would have had spit on my face all my life.’”
Stramaccioni spoke about how it felt to walk into Inter’s dressing room as such a young coach.
“The young Stramaccioni was an inexperienced young coach who had been lucky enough to be in a locker room of incredible champions, Zanetti, Milito, Cambiasso, Samuel, Stankovic, Sneijder, Chivu, Lucio, Maicon, Julio Cesar… Do you need me to continue? It was them who indirectly reconfirmed me for the following season, the rest is talk.”
He spoke about his difficult second season in charge.
“I’ve often wondered. I’ve given myself three answers. One, the incredible series of injuries that hit the team since January had penalised us, two, the imminent sale of the team to Thohir had destabilised the club and three, my inexperience led me to make several mistakes.”
He briefly touched on his locker room arguments with Antonio Cassano.
“It happened in front of several people, so yes, there’s no point in denying it. These are things that happen in a locker room, but today I wouldn’t do it again.”
Stramaccioni revealed what happened in his final months with Esteghlal.
“Unfortunately, there were technical irregularities in the payments, and I’m not talking about a delay but about the form. And this situation was known to the management from the beginning. Certainly, at the root are the difficulties due to the sanctions imposed on Iran at the political level. It was no longer legally possible to move forward.”
Finally, Stramaccioni discussed what he will bring to Italy from Iran.
“A unique experience, in a fascinating land full of history. Very different from how it is described. The signs of the Persian Empire, Persepolis, the cradle of civilisation, Shiraz, and Isfahan are just some of the Persian wonders. And the reception of people for a foreigner is something incredible.”