Former Inter president and owner Massimo Moratti has expressed his thoughts on Inter’s elimination from the UEFA Champions League at the group stage last week and Inter’s chances of winning the Serie A title this term.
“It is a great disappointment, there is no doubt about it. It was not a very simple group, but something more was expected,” he explained in an interview with Italian radio station Radio Anch’io Lo Sport, earlier on today.
“Now there is the possibility of the league where it seems to me that they are expressing themselves very well. They should go on with that.
“Football is made of these things, its beauty is made of the difficulties you face and you have to overcome. I believe there are possibilities to achieve the goal. It is also a great boost to know that it is the only goal you have.”
Moratti proceeded to discuss AC Milan and Juventus, two sides who are proving to be among Inter’s most accredited rivals for Scudetto glory.
“AC Milan are surprising and are playing very well. Even yesterday they had a match like those that happen when you are working, but they are difficult and particular, yet they have been able to heal from it. Without Ibrahimovic, you understand that he is indispensable.
“Juventus are always scary because they have very strong players. What must distinguish the Inter team is the great desire to win the heart. The coach is good, if he calms down. Otherwise they will win nothing. For an hour or more Inter were not there but certainly not winning would have created controversy.”
Moratti then went on the praise the work of Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio for the players that Inter have been able to bring in.
“We have done so many deals because the sporting director was good, that I honestly do not know what similarity to make between this moment and the ones I had.
“When certain players see that they have not given up, not because of them but for the whole, it is normal to change and put them in a position to play where they are most appreciated. Having only the league, I don’t think they need 3000 players.”
Moratti, who owned Inter for almost 20 years, proceeded to share his views on Christian Eriksen, who was given a rare chance to start yesterday in Sardinia.
“Eriksen? Nobody expected such a performance but he also plays little. It is difficult to judge. If Conte makes him play little then he will have his reasons. These are situations that you can prolong, but if there is no confidence it is useless to continue.”
Next he discussed what he thinks Inter need to do on the transfer market and was asked whether he has anyone in particular in mind.
“A great signing? Right now we are all talking about Mbappé, who is certainly good but I’m not that attracted to a particular player. I think we need to raise the level of class a bit, looking at role by role, but I don’t have a particular player in mind.”
Moratti then went on to discuss the situation with regard to the global COVID-19 pandemic which has caused great disruption in football.
“I think it is a crisis of incredible gravity. It affects football a lot. We don’t know how long fans will not be able to go to the matches. Hopefully it will be a matter of months, but these delays put the clubs in difficulty as they have very high expenses.
“The players are the ones who risk the most because they continue to play. They make sacrifices, but they are the ones who allow you to do everything. It is difficult to deal with. I don’t think for a few years there can be that wealth that we have seen. There may be some very rich owners behind them, but they all have to be careful.”
Moratti then gave his views on Conte, who is 18 months into his spell in charge of the Nerazzurri club.
“Conte as a coach is very good, he has character and is attentive to the team. He cares about everything he does. His character is very difficult. I don’t know if I would have resisted so long or if certain situations would have arisen, maybe they wouldn’t have. The choice to continue was courageous and as such he had its risks.
“Inter’s locker room? I don’t know the situation. The feeling is that the locker room has to adapt to the character of the coach. Much depends on how much interference there is from the outside world, but I don’t think there is any because the president respects the coach very much. After the storm of elimination in the Champions League, I think things will get better.”
Moratti then spoke on his relationship with Treble winning manager Jose Mourinho: “He always behaved in a very correct way. I must say that we always understood each other, if there was something wrong we would solve it together. They were different times and the team was exceptionally strong, so it helped.”
In conclusion, Moratti paid tribute to Paolo Rossi, who died recently, and former Inter vice-president Giuseppe Prisco, who died almost 19 years ago to the day.
“The loss of Paolo Rossi was a great pain. He was one of the greatest players in Italy. I followed him as a boy, I was sorry I arrived as president too late. I would have tried to sign him at all costs. I was lucky enough to be in Madrid for the 1982 World Cup and I fell in love with how he played, how useful and nice he was. Honestly, it was something unexpected and sad.
“Prisco? He was an exceptional character, he was part of an unforgettable world because it was full of quality people. He was very witty, a great lawyer and a war hero. He has the grave fault of having convinced me to become the president of Inter.”