Roberto Mancini hinted he’ll change captain, promised more buys, joked about Mohamed Salah and said Inter “must target the Scudetto.”
The Coach held his first Press conference of the season, covering subjects including Geoffrey Kondogbia and the possible departure of Xherdan Shaqiri towards Stoke City.
Roberto Mancini hinted he’ll change captain, promised more buys, joked about Mohamed Salah and said Inter “must target the Scudetto.”
The Coach held his first Press conference of the season, covering subjects including Geoffrey Kondogbia and the possible departure of Xherdan Shaqiri towards Stoke City.
“We are Inter and we must target the Scudetto. We are here to reduce the gap from Juventus and that means using the right mentality, the one seen at times last season.
“Make few mistakes and improve – I think it’s do-able. I want to see the mentality we had over the last six months, of always trying to win. Mistakes let us down, but ultimately that is the right approach. That work is not lost, even if many players changed.”
The influx of new signings isn’t necessarily over, as Inter are also in talks with Wolfsburg for Ivan Perisic, want Manchester City’s Stevan Jovetic and are reportedly the cause of a bitter split between Mohamed Salah and Fiorentina.
“Jovetic is a City player, Perisic is with Wolfsburg and Salah… nobody knows who he’s with! We’ve never spoken to Salah, but there is contact with Wolfsburg for Perisic. We’re talking about important players.
“Did I call Salah? My phone ran out of credit… Joking aside, I make many calls because it’s only right that a player should speak to his future Coach to understand where and how he’s going to play.
“Am I satisfied with the transfer market so far? Yes, I’m happy, but there are another two months to go and we could sign more. President Thohir made a big effort and will make more, which means he cares a great deal.
“We are working on the attack because there are few options there. We’re looking for players who can play in any of the attacking roles, as that versatility would be an advantage.”
Andrea Ranocchia renewed his contract this week, but will he continue to wear the captain’s armband or indeed be first choice in defence?
“I will decide. We have signed some players of great international experience at the back, but we’ll see who could be captain or not,” replied Mancini.
“I think we’ll have four at the back, a three-man midfield, but it depends on the players. We’ll vary between 4-3-3 and 4-3-1-2.”
Some stars did not arrive, such as Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure.
“I was unable to talk to him, but he didn’t disappoint me. I think someone high up at Manchester City interceded and convinced him to stay. I remain very fond of him.”