Former Cagliari striker Jeda discussed Inter and their moves in the transfer market in an interview with Italian media outlet Passioneinter.com today.
“I really like Inter as they’re growing, as a team, with a solid club behind them, a clear goal. After winning so much Inter have fallen behind, they’ve entered a lower point in their history. The arrival of the new owners gave new enthusiasm, then Conte arrived and gave an extra boost. Players of a certain level arrived also thanks to his presence. I kind of expected this at the beginning of the year.”
He then spoke about the impact of the new arrivals, Ashley Young, Victor Moses and soon Christian Eriksen.
“Inter will be an even bigger contender for the league. At this point of the season they are already the real opponents of Juventus, with these arrivals they become even more fearsome. In the Europa League they will be one of the favourites.”
The 40-year-old Brazilian touched on Inter’s next opponents Cagliari, and their season so far.
“They’re having a great season, no one would have put a euro on the fact that Cagliari would be so high in the table. The environment must be happy beyond the results of the last few games. They’re having an important season, above and beyond their means, but they don’t have to take it a step too far. At the beginning of the year Cagliari set off with the aim of saving themselves, of being a solid club like they have shown in recent years. They have the right team to try to do well, then if you can do more even better.”
Jeda highlighted what he expects to see in tomorrow’s meeting between the two sides.
“It will be a different Cagliari, not as weak as in the Coppa Italia. They’re a team that play well, that have to recover serenity. There’s no reason to be alarmed, they have to play carefree and face a very strong team. They have to forget about the league table, they don’t have to think about winning the league but instead playing carefree. Also, because the environment at Cagliari allows them to do so.”
He spoke about his memories of playing with Cagliari.
“A beautiful memory, which I still relive thanks to the people who make me relive and remember it. A great memory, which I extend to all my football life in Italy, something that I am really proud of. Maybe correcting some small details. I remember in particular the miraculous recovery in the first season, extraordinary Cagliari, the passionate fans who filled the stadium every Sunday, without forgetting their team, fantastic.”
The 40-year-old discussed how it felt to play against Jose Mourinho’s Inter.
“We lost against a great team that time, but we played well by moving ahead because of my goal. In the second half we gave Inter a lot of trouble, we were experienced, we played our football independently of the opponent, we played it. If you think you’re looking at their players, you can’t beat them because you’re already beaten. And tomorrow Cagliari will have to avoid that mistake.”
Jeda gave his thoughts about Inter owned midfielder Radja Nainggolan, who is currently on loan with the Rossoblu.
“There was never a problem between Conte and Nainggolan, but rather with the management, he was already out of the management’s plans when the new coach arrived. Conte was clear with him, he was not involved in non-technical corporate plans. He would have given a lot to Inter, but it’s also true that his experience in Milan has caused it. And when you have a bad year, I don’t know if coming back would be a good thing. I think the best thing for him would be to stay in Cagliari or look for another club where he could express himself at his best.”
He spoke about Cagliari’s Brazilian striker Joao Pedro and whether he sees himself in the player.
“Absolutely yes, he has the same characteristics as me, second striker with the habit of scoring and he has improved a lot. With his maturity, it explains a lot of the points in the league table that Cagliari have, because he had to give something more and he’s giving it. I see a lot of myself in him, but I’ve been thinking about him since I first saw him play.”
Finally, Jeda spoke about Inter owned striker Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa.
“He hasn’t been able to impose himself because of his style, the responsibility he’s been given and his young age. So much was expected of him, it wasn’t easy to show what he’s worth in a team like Inter, I think he’s the right choice, especially if he’s aiming for the national team, because that’s where the stars are. Flamengo not only in terms of staff but also economically have grown a lot, returning to the Flamengo of many years ago.”
