Andrea Stramaccioni is prepared to alter his set-up to try to beat Udinese” data-scaytid=”2″>Udinese on Saturday night, as he admits Inter are ‘perfect victims’ for the Zebrette.
Andrea Stramaccioni is prepared to alter his set-up to try to beat Udinese on Saturday night, as he admits Inter are ‘perfect victims’ for the Zebrette.
Francesco Guidolin’s side are looking for their third consecutive win over the Nerazzurri in this weekend’s meeting, one that also has added value with both teams still in contention to snatch the third and final Champions League qualification position.
In preparing for the game and looking to maintain his unbeaten start with the San Siro side, Stramaccioni has admitted he is open to try new things, so as not to lose on Saturday.
“Their overall ability is undeniable and they have achieved great things and have built a strong League standing at Friuli. It is going to be a difficult game for us, but we have known this for a while.
“The identity and the idea of the team must always be maintained, but in single games there can be variations and tricks.
“Udinese has features that can cause us a lot of harm. We do not want to abandon the ideas we have been working on in previous games, but certainly we will have to introduce some ploys to counter their strengths.
“For our features we may be the perfect victims for Udinese. We will try to take the game to them, even if we’ve only had two days to prepare.
“I hope to see an Inter side that can retain its identity whilst also adapting to the strengths of the opponent.”
The Nerazzurri will be without Walter Samuel, however, after he was ruled out for up to three weeks with an injury.
“He is an important player for Inter, one of the best defenders in the world. But, without him we found a balance on Wednesday [against Siena] and we will have to find one again in Udine.
“His absence is significant, but we will do well even if he won’t be playing for a few rounds.”
The 36-year-old, who was promoted to the position of Coach after winning the NextGen Series with the youth team, was asked about his reluctance to follow up on an initial promise to introduce some younger faces to the team.
“I have already spoken about the youngsters when I was with the primavera and I said that Inter had some interesting young players.
“However, the way Serie A is structured does not mean that those who do well at youth level can then do well at senior level, because the difference between the two competitions is too great.
“There are exceptions to the rule, but the gap exists. The primavera hardly provide the prototype that is ready to play in Serie A.
“The President has asked me to qualify for Europe and I will select young players if in my opinion they carry the same or greater value than an older player.
“It is all for the good of Inter, as the best team available will always play.”
Stramaccioni looked to offer some insight into speculation surrounding whether or not he will stay on in the role as Coach at the club beyond the end of the season.
“After the first hour and a half of conversation, before I signed, we made a pact that he asked me to win. It is a clause in the contract that the President of Inter requires of all his Coaches here for the next 100 years. It is normal.
“Moratti told me to win when I arrived, but not this game or that one. I am learning that in A, victory and defeat is separated by a matter of inches.
“But I do not know if winning from now until the end of the season means I will stay. To me, it doesn’t count.
“For now, I am interested in the trip to Udine. We are working well, we can expect a game against one of the toughest in Italy.”