Former Inter left back Alvaro Pereira has said that he would have liked to play in this Inter team that is being coached by Simone Inzaghi, according to a report in the Italian media today.
Speaking during an interview with L’Interista, Alvaro Pereira discussed his time at Inter before admitting he would like to play in the current Inter team that sits four points clear at the top of the Serie A table.
“Definitely, I would have liked to play in this Inter, every now and then I think about it, I would have liked it. Because adapting to such a different, defensive mentality was one of the main difficulties on a personal level. There were teams that were already playing as many in Italy do today, above all I remember a great Fiorentina team with Montella, they played sparkling football.”
Alvaro Pereira did not manage to make the kind of impact at Inter that he would have wanted when he joined the club in 2012 from the Portuguese side FC Porto.
The Uruguayan feels that the time it took him to adapt to the country was an issue, and then he had to leave to assure he would get picked for the 2014 World Cup.
“I always say that in Italy I paid a little for the adaptation to a new world for me. I tell you that I am certain of the fact that I was missing very, very little, to do much better than I was able to do in the Nerazzurri. But the 2014 World Cup was coming, so I chose to put the national team ahead of the club.
“I needed to play a lot to earn the call of the Celeste, so I went to Sao Paolo. Mazzarri said to me: ‘I would like you to stay, but your reasoning is right.’ I have great respect for Walter and for that speech he made to me. Although I was sorry to leave things unfinished with Inter and their fans.”
Alvaro Pereira said that Javier Zanetti helped him a lot at the time and the pair still talk to this day.
“They were years of transition, in the following one Thohir arrived and with the handover of the club there was a bit of confusion on the pitch. For extra-field issues, we suffered on the pitch. Pupi helped me a lot. Zanetti at that time helped, I still talk to him a lot today since we both have a home in Como.”