Roberto Mancini says Inter are still fighting for third-place “then we’ll see what happens next year”.
The Nerazzurri are currently fifth in the table, having been leading Serie A at Christmas, but the Coach says third was the objective all along.
“When you start a new era, a new journey like we’re on at Inter, you can have great time and more difficult times on your way back to the top,” Mancini told Calciomercato.
Roberto Mancini says Inter are still fighting for third-place “then we’ll see what happens next year”.
The Nerazzurri are currently fifth in the table, having been leading Serie A at Christmas, but the Coach says third was the objective all along.
“When you start a new era, a new journey like we’re on at Inter, you can have great time and more difficult times on your way back to the top,” Mancini told Calciomercato.
“This year we were top for almost all of the first half of the season, that means we did some good things.
“Now we have an objective, which is the one we had at the beginning: we’re still in play, we know it won’t be easy but we’ll do everything to get there.
“Then we’ll see what happens next year, the team will definitely improve and we’ll see if we can fight with those who have more than us right now.
“Criticism? I don’t read newspapers and I only watch matches on TV. With all the due respect I have for the work of journalists, I’m under no illusions when the praise is extraordinary as it was at the start of the season, nor does it cause problems when the criticism arrives, even if it’s offensive.
“I haven’t heard it with my own ears, I haven’t read it, but I’ve had it relayed to me. The fact is that supporting counts, and sometimes journalists are fans.
“Former players? Talk is cheap and very easy. I understand, it costs nothing and no-one will speak to you the next day and say ‘look, what you said wasn’t quite right’.
“It’s part of the whole circus of the Italian League, we live by these things and the controversy – we have to behave like this.
“And of course Inter are a great club, so when things go wrong the criticism comes.”
Mancini was then asked if he thinks Juventus or Napoli will win the Scudetto.
“You think it’ll be a two-horse race, but I don’t know… Roma have been rebuilt recently and they’re not far away. With 10 games until the end of the season, I think it can become a three-way fight if the Giallorossi can continue to do so well.
“Of course I hope they don’t, because we’re playing them in two weeks…”