INTER, Stramaccioni: "No fear, Inter's a dream come true"

© foto di Giuseppe Celeste/Image Sport

"It's a dream, a dream come true. We've gone from the success with the Primavera team in London – which feels like months ago – to being here today. These are emotions which only happen in sport, in football at this level." With managing director Ernesto Paolillo, technical director Marco Branca and sporting director Piero Ausilio all alongside him, Andrea Stramaccioni was introduced to the press.

Forthright, genuine, sarcastic, young. Young at heart because the word means only one thing to the new Inter coach. "It means having fight, the desire to fight for this club. Our captain is an example of someone who is young at heart." And the word youth crops up frequently in Stramaccioni's introductory press conference. It's mentioned when he's asked whether he's afraid of becoming Inter coach at a time when the side is struggling. "I'm going to approach it with a bit of youthful exuberance, but I do believe this is a very strong squad," explained the coach. I have faith in my players, in the club, and in myself. My target for the moment is to beat Genoa. If you decide to do this job, then it's a dream, end of story. You can concentrate on how to prepare, on what to say and how to say something to a footballer, but the word fear is not appropriate here because everything comes from having sharp focus. As soon as I found out president Moratti's decision, this job is the only thing that I've thought about."

Youth is mentioned again in reference to Andrea Stramaccioni's recent career. "I've come in on the back of a great achievement, an achievement for everyone, success for a first-rate academy. Now I'm about to experience something completely unexpected, this dream that president Moratti has made a reality, and I'll do everything in my power to be a success."

And youth is still the major talking point as we look towards the future. The future of Inter under Andrea Stramaccioni. "This is a tricky one, it's something I did in my previous role until 48 hours ago and I'll continue to do so. Young players are a legacy and the club - along with the coach - will decide how best to use them. It's a tricky one and it's important to weigh up when and how to integrate them because otherwise you run the risk of damaging a youngster's development. In any case I think the president has already sent out a message, when and whether we decide how to make use of them."