stefano pioli

In a long interview with Corriere dello Sport, Inter coach Stefano Pioli talks about how it all began, his experiences, but above all Inter. Here’s an extract from an Inter point of view:

Were you an Inter fan? “Yes, I was an Interista, because I come from an Inter family and the first Serie A match I saw was Bologna-Inter where Muraro scored. I became Interista because my father and mother spoke well of Inter. I grew up with Inter players like Beccalossi, Pasinato, Altobelli, Bordon and Bini. I have always remained Interista, even if my career as a football player and a coach brought me to different teams.”

How is it for a childhood Interista to become the coach of Inter? “It’s very emotional, but at the same time an opportunity. An opportunity that arrived at the right moment, I have learned a lot from my previous experiences. Now I can improve in order to be more complete from a professional point of view. Not only in the technical sense but also how you manage, the attitude and psychological aspects. It’s very satisfying but at the same time it means a lot of responsibility, because I coach a great team, the team I dreamt about as a child. As a player I nearly came to Inter, when I left Parma it seemed like I was going there but on the same day I went to Juventus. Now I have an opportunity that I’m trying to make the best of.”

How was it to arrive at a team like Inter having a bit of a chaotic season?  “I was positively surprised. I found a helpful team that was willing to work. A team that was aware of the fact that they weren’t living up to Inter standards. Therefore, they were eager to pull up their sleeves and get to work. Meaning working together, carefully with quality and precision, taking care of every detail. And having the attitude of turning this season around. Also from a organisational point of view I found a helpful club with a corporate structure that didn’t seem to be compact from the outside. Instead I found an ambitious club with a united management. I had the perfect conditions to work. Then it’s obvious that when the results are negative you lose confidence in some of the players and the group loses self-esteem. The only way to get that back is to work hard and get the results, this is what we are trying to do. I thought things would be more negative. You find the right attitude here and I could restart from a technical point of view, and as I discovered, from a moral point of view. From that you can start to build something good for our present and above all you can start build for an important future of Inter.”

For me, that grew up with players like Sarti, Burgnich, Facchetti, Bedin, Guarneri, Picchi – it strikes me that Inter has a formation with very few Italians. Allegri once told me that in order to create a great team you nead a core of Italian players. “Yes, I think Allegri is absolutely right and Juventus prove him right as did Milan back in the days when Sacchi was the coach. Everybody remembers Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard but people seem to forget about Baresi, Galli, Tassotti, Costacurta, Maldini, Donadoni and Evani. I think Inter is aware of this and I think that the acquisition of Gagliardini proves that. And it should be more transfers like that one in the future. Obviously there are great Italian players, Inter is a great team and young, talented Italian players should arrive because they are strong. This should be an objective in the future mercato.”

Is Gagliardini a regista? I think he is a great player – versatile and modern. “I think Gagliardini is a modern midfielder. I don’t like to, as opposed to many others and above all the media, to label players. But I like the versatile players, like Gagliardini. He can play in both a two- and a three-man midfield. He has a great sense of position, has a personality and plays a very simple but effective football. That’s all I need from my midfielders. The important thing is to move yourself well on the pitch, have the time to deliver the passes and to put yourself in position. To sum it up, for a midfielder it’s important to know both phases of the game, and he does. He’s a youngster who is still developing, but he’s a kid ready to give us energy, physicality and effectivity. He is an important investment for Inter.”

Let’s talk about Gabigol for a moment? You have brought him back I think. When he arrived everybody thought he was the new Pelé, then he ended up on the bench and now he seems to be back? “I think there are many examples of young foreign players that come to Italy and have a difficult first year. It’s obvious that a young talented player that comes from a country far, far away needs time to adjust to the culture, work culture, mentality, teammates, and the language. I think of Felipe Anderson who in his first year in Lazio had a difficult time. But he never gave up and continued to work and to believe in himself and the next year he got the success he deserved. I have only been here for a short while but he has already grown a lot and he has to continue like this. He can’t be depressed when he doesn’t get the call and can’t be over-enthusiastic when he comes on the pitch.”

What do you think about the Chinese invasion in football? “China is a country currently in a huge economic, cultural and athletic expansion. So it’s no surprise that they have a great potential in the world. As a result there are strong investors in sport. Like in the Premier League, first there was American investors, then there were Eastern. They bring, besides a strong economy, a great culture of working ethic and professionalism. They work hard  and with a perfection that I think will improve the modern football.”

Is there a bit of prejudice? Because if the sheiks invest millions no one says anything but when the Chinese do it’s a scandal. “Us Italians are like this, we are concerned of people coming from the outside, they scare us. It takes some time to  getting used to some things. From what I have experienced, they are very determined people who support me and want to invest. They didn’t come here to speculate, I see people that want to build something and want to do well. They want to invest with logic and they want to improve the structure. At the moment I see only positive things.”

Where will your Inter arrive this season? “Obviously, in this moment, our future depends a lot on us. But it’s not only us who decides our future, meaning that we are trying to gain points on the teams above us in the standings and all we can do is try to win every game and that is what we are doing right now. But we also know that there are strong teams in front of us. I tell my players that from here to the 28th of May we have to try to win every game and that we have the quality to do that. But only after May 28th can we sum things up. Of course it will be a difficult task with a lot of problems. We know that but it also fascinates us.”

Is there a young Italian you would like to have on your team? “At the moment in Italy there are a lot of interesting young players. I’m thinking of Berardi and Bernardeschi who are very talented but I also want to mention Pinamonti. We can’t put too much pressure on a young kid like him, he has only played one game. But he is a great prospect, has a lot of talent but foremost is serious and humble. I think he’s a great prospect for Inter but also for the Italian football.”

Source: corrieredellosport.it