Legendary former Inter President Massimo Moratti is looking forward to seeing Jose Mourinho coaching at the San Siro even if it is for the opposing team.
Speaking to Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, Moratti expressed his anticipation of the Portuguese coach’s return to the San Siro when the Nerazzurri host his current side Roma in the Coppa Italia this evening.
Moratti enjoyed great success working together with Mourinho in the two years that the coach was in charge of the Nerazzurri, culminating in the European treble success of the 2009-10 season.
Even though the coach has since gone on to manage a number of different clubs before returning to Serie A with Roma, and the Nerazzurri have had an eventful decade of their own and Moratti has left his role, the connection remains strong.
“It gives me great pleasure to see him as a coach back in Italy,” Moratti said of Mourinho being in charge of Roma. “And I’m looking forward to seeing him again at San Siro as a guest and not as the home side’s coach.”
“But it will certainly be something beautiful, wonderful, special,” he stressed. “It will be wonderful to be present and see this all unfold.”
“Mourinho did what he had to do at Inter very well,” he continued, ” andnow it’s another era, everything has changed, he can afford to try to have a successful Italian adventure with another top team, Roma.”
Moratti emphasized that “This does not take away any of the understanding and affection I have towards him, absolutely none.”
“We haven’t heard from each other in recent days, but we have texted each other,” he added. “I must say that I still have a beautiful relationship with him, he’s always very affectionate with me.”
“A relationship born through Inter and the wonderful period of great success and emotion,” he characterized his relationship Mourinho. “Now, I call Jose a friend.”
Moratti also predicted that the current Inter team will bounce back from Saturday’s loss to AC Milan in the derby, stating that “That defeat doesn’t change much, Inter are still strong.”
“They dominated the game the other day too,” he went on, “at least up until those five minutes that overturned the game. If they are more careful and calm in certain situations, they has all the characteristics to continue to do very well because they’re stronger than their rivals.”
“But they must not take any result for granted, because nothing is guaranteed,” he added. ‘They know it too, but you have to have that understanding in facing all matches.”
“However, I want to reiterate that I’m still optimistic,” he continued, “the team is where they need to be, the coach is very goood, the club has done very well.”
“The defeat in the derby must not change the thinking from before the match,” he made clear.
Comparing current coach Simone Inzaghi to former coach Mourinho, Moratti said that “They are men with different characters, not comparable. However, Inzaghi is a coach who can win with Inter and has all the skills to do so.”
