Andrea Stramaccioni has broken ranks with Inter and insisted Wesley Sneijder “is available” for tomorrow’s match with Palermo.
Andrea Stramaccioni has broken ranks with Inter and insisted Wesley Sneijder “is available” for tomorrow’s match with Palermo.
The club declared that Sneijder would not play again until he agreed to sign a new contract cutting his €6m per season wages, but after FIFPro accused them of “blackmailing” the player, they made it clear this was “a technical decision” based on his state of mind.
“Wes trained well like all the others and he is available like all the others,” said Stramaccioni in today’s Press conference.
“I am aware that from the outside this can all seem more complicated than it really is. I have an excellent rapport with Sneijder and he has sat at my table every day, except for when he was in Los Angeles. Everything is clear between us.
“I do have a few doubts on my line-up, because some of the players are not in perfect condition. My concentration will be on those who will start, as I have to decide after the last training session.”
Diego Milito is one of those players who is not 100 per cent fit due to a stiff quadriceps.
“Milito skipped yesterday’s training session in agreement with the doctor, but today he should train and we’ll see his condition.”
The pressure is on the Nerazzurri to deliver after their defeat to Parma saw them slide into third place, earning one point from the last three rounds.
“I expect for Inter to take the initiative. We want to start running again and picking up points, so it’ll be important for us to get the right approach. We want to prove that the last three games are just a blip.
“If I have to find a common denominator in the last few matches, then it’s that we lacked something when out of possession and also lacked hunger. We built our victories on defensive solidity and that has perhaps been lacking recently.”
Stramaccioni was promoted from the Primavera youth team to the main job after Gian Piero Gasperini and then Claudio Ranieri were sacked last season. Gasp returns to San Siro tomorrow afternoon at the helm of Palermo.
“I admire Gasperini and can only speak highly of him. I had a dialogue with him when I was in charge of the Primavera side. It’s just a shame that at Inter he was never able to express his qualities,” continued Strama.
“So far this season we’ve done really well against the best teams, like Juventus and Fiorentina, but dropped points against the smaller ones.
“Tomorrow’s game will be a good test to understand if the last few rounds were just a blip. If Inter don’t get a result, then there will have been an objective step backwards. I am convinced Inter will put in a great performance, reply to the critics on the field and get back to winning ways.”