Roberto Mancini interested in Italy job
Do you have any regrets about Adriano?
“Adriano is one of those players who could have done much more during his career. He hasn’t done it and it’s all his fault. That’s a pity because he’s a good guy with amazing physical skills rather than technical. He always needed to be in shape, having an athlete lifestyle, but he just couldn’t afford doing it. His failure was a huge disappointment, but we all tried to help him out”
In 2008 you won the Scudetto in the last game of the season played at the Tardini against Parma. That was not an easy moment for you, by the way.
“Yes, many things happened before that match. The Liverpool games, for example, but also other stuff.”
The club had already decided they would have changed the manager.
“But I didn’t know it.”
Ibrahimovic’s winner was followed by a very polemic celebration by the player.
“We were all under pressure, but everyone loved us. Roma were playing very at that time well and had been without our best striker, Ibra, for a few weeks before the last game. Luckily we decided Ibra to play only the last 30 minutes. He come off the bench and scored two goals.”
You came back to Italy after being in charge of Man City.
“The environment in England is very different. They live the game in another way. No one cares about who’s the referee, newspapers and TV programs do not talk about referees, so no one is focused on the referees’ decision during a game. That helps a lot. English referees are also very different from the Italians. They have another attitude, because it’s not true that Premier League players do not argue.”
Do you feel modern football is well represented by presidents like Erik Thohir?
“Yes. I think that if every club had Thohir as president, Italian football would be much better. Today it is difficult for a local entrepreneur do what Moratti did for years. Investing lot of money is nothing easy. Italian football had been the best in the world for years and we have to come back to that standard.”
Are you back to Inter also because Mourinho left better memories than you at the club?
“He won the Champions League, so he did better than me.”
But you are the one who did start winning.
“Yes, but one has to be lucky too. Have the right team in the right moment…”
Did you try to sign Dybala?
“Yes we did, we followed him but you can’t sign every player your negotiate. Dybala will become a champion.”
What about Kondogbia? Is he a champion?
“He’ll become a great player.”
Would you like to become Italy head coach? You could earn as a manager what you never earned as a player… “Only for some things. Of course coaching the national team, after lot of clubs it’s the best thing ever. That’s a great honor, it may happen, it may not happen, I don’t know. You can accept the job if you do not have another contract already, otherwise it can be difficult. Let’s see what’s going to happen.”
Lorenzo Bettoni @lorebetto
