In the build up to Friday’s match with Bologna, Claudio Ranieri covered a wide range of topics at his weekly press conference. Here are some of his comments:
On Playing Bologna
”We are coming from a series of matches which were by no means inspiring because we took some blows that left us reeling; now we have to recover as quickly as possible. Since the beginning of the year Bologna have not lost an away game, but we need points and play as we know how to, even if a lot of players are out, we must be careful not to give away any goals.”
Julio Cesar And Forlan
“Julio wants to play and doesn’t want to relax because he knows we are going through this negative period. The players I didn’t call up (Milito, Stankovic, Alvarez, Samuel Ed) aren’t fit. Forlan? He’s better, but putting him on doesn’t automatically mean a miracle will take place. He needs time to find his rhythm. Sneijder? From what I saw against Novara he managed to slip away from his marker and he took a lot of shots at goal. Should I give more space to younger players? When younger players play you need to support them; but if there’s too much of a buzz coming from the stands at San Siro the expert players just ignore it, whereas the younger players could be affected by it.”
“Why have so many big names left Inter? It’s always difficult to explain things for other people. I believe that when somone can’t find the motivation it’s right that he should leave. I’m not the right person to be answering these questions, ask them in person.” Mauro Zarate has stayed after refusing a transfer to Russia: “Mauro is phenomenal, but he hasn’t managed to settle into the system completely yet, he’s a bit of an anarchist. He had problems last year at Lazio too. I’m doing my utmost to shape this team and I expect a lot from him because he has the skill to go past his man and to set up goals. He has all my respect and that of his team-mates; he’s suffering, but in football doors open unexpectedly and you have to make the most of them.”
Disagreement With Antonio Conte
“Does Conte say that referees are frightened to award penalties to Juve? If that’s the case they must be absolutely terrified of Inter then. I get annoyed when I see the referee is not in complete control of a match; they have made a lot of mistakes against us but I can’t agree with Conte on this issue. I hope referees are not influenced when someone raises his voice.”
