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Thohir puts faith in Mancini for Inter´s ´five-year plan´
14 March 2016
Inter president Erick Thohir is confident that Roberto Mancini will remain in charge beyond the end of this season.
The former Manchester City boss guided Inter to the top of Serie A during the first half of 2015-16, but a decline in form over January and February saw them slip outside of the Champions League places.
With Inter having spent large sums on the likes of Geoffrey Kondogbia and Ivan Perisic, speculation has emerged in Italy that Mancini may not survive a failure to secure a top-three league finish.
But Thohir insists he has faith in the 51-year-old as part of Inter's wider "five-year plan" to re-establish their supremacy in Italy's top flight.
"His contract lasts until 2017, I don't think we'll talk about it now," he told the media at a sponsor event. "I think he will stay.
"The management supports him in every way, and the reason for getting him was to get Inter into the Champions League - he and the players must prove that they are at that level.
"We have a five-year plan. We're aiming for the Champions League, but if we don't make it then we'll focus on the Europa League.
"The numbers we've spent in the market tell us we're fine for the Europa League, while if we get to the Champions League then there is room for further additions.
"There's a strategy. We've got a lot of new players and we've supported the project every step of the way. On the other hand, we need the results, and we want to achieve that with Mancini.
"On January 6 we were in the lead, so we'd not only be in the top three, but possibly Scudetto winners. It's very important to be aligned with our objectives.
"We've had good results and we want to achieve our objectives, but it's not the end of the world if we don't succeed, because we'll keep going until our goal is achieved."
Yuto Nagatomo revealed he turned down an offer from Manchester United as he looks to renew his contract with Serie A outfit Inter.
Nagatomo played 90 minutes on Saturday as Inter secured a 2-1 home win over Bologna to move up to fourth place in the league standings.
The full-back spent the start of the season as a bench player but has since established himself as a regular in Roberto Mancini's line-up.
His form prompted an offer from United in the January transfer window but the Japan international revealed he turned down their approach.
"It's true, I turned down Manchester United, because I like staying here with my team-mates and the staff. It feels like my family. I want to stay at Inter," he told Mediaset Premium.
"My contract renewal? I hope so, we are talking about it. The good news will come soon."
Inter's win over Bologna moved them to within two points of third-placed Roma and a spot in the Champions League qualifiers.
"Every game is very difficult and important now," he added. "We have prepared well and are focused on winning this evening.
"Roma are doing well in third place, but you never know in football. We believe in our chances."
Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta has laughed off suggestions Paul Pogba has held talks with Paris Saint-Germain over a summer move.
The France international recently travelled to Paris for a sponsorship event, with a number of reports claiming he also met with a PSG delegation to discuss a potential transfer.
Nevertheless, Marotta remains unperturbed by such suggestions and is confident Pogba will stay at Juventus for the foreseeable future.
"We are not aware of any meeting between Paul and PSG," Marotta told Mediaset.
"Paul was in Paris last week for an event with one of his sponsors.
"He still has a contract with Juventus for several more years, so there is no temptation whatsoever from other clubs."
Paris Saint-Germain are not the only club to have been credited with an interest in Pogba, with Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all believed to be keeping a close eye on his situation in Turin as well.
The 23-year-old's existing contract with Juventus runs until June 2019.
Roma v Inter: Ljajic knows victory is needed against former club
17 March 2016
Adem Ljajic knows Saturday's Serie A clash at in-form Roma is critical for Inter's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, which the club have repeatedly stated is their main aim for the campaign.
The playmaker takes on his former club when Roberto Mancini's men travel to Stadio Olimpico and face the team who sit third in the standings, five points clear of them in the race to reach Europe's elite club competition with nine games to go.
Ljajic never expected to be meeting Roma in such a pivotal clash because he felt they would be Scudetto candidates this season, but is now aware that they need to be beaten.
"Before the beginning of the season I would never have said this match would be decisive for the Champions League," he told Premium Sport.
"I thought Roma would be fighting for the Scudetto, but here we are. It will be a very important game, especially for us as we are five points behind.
"We have to try and win to reach third place, which is very important for us. It is not a grudge match for me – I was very happy at Roma. I had two wonderful years there and made many friends who will be with me for life.
"The city is beautiful and I love the club, but in my head now there is only Inter. lt will be a special game for me and I will experience many emotions, but I'm just thinking about giving everything for my team. We will see who wins."
Inter have won three of their last four Serie A matches, but Roma are on a stunning run of eight consecutive league triumphs under Luciano Spalletti.
Mancini's men, though, have won their last two league games against Roma. The last time they won three in a row was back in 1998.
But Roma have not lost at home to Inter since October 2008 and Spalletti will know that victory would all but kill off the Champions League hopes of the visitors.
"We are doing some good things but I think there is always room for improvement," he said.
"That is where our focus needs to be – on achieving our next goal. The players feel more confident in their ability. We needed to help them show that more.
"Over the last two years the team has finished near the top of the table twice and that's because there was good work done here before.
"That said, the league is more competitive this year than it was last time around – top players have come back to Serie A and that's driven the level of the Italian game back up."
Hosts Roma hope to welcome back Antonio Rudiger (arm), but are still expected to be without Norbert Gyomber (foot).
Inter are hoping that captain Mauro Icardi can recover in time to play some part in the match after suffering a knee problem against Bologna last time out.
Rodrigo Palacio is suspended and Stevan Jovetic (muscular problem) has not played in the league since February 20.
Key Opta Stats:
- Both sides have won twice each in the last six meetings between them, with two draws.
- Roma have conceded a goal in five of their last six home league games.
- Inter have kept only one clean sheet in their last 11 league games.
- The Nerazzurri have gained only two points in their last five away games: their worst run since February 2014.
- Roma have scored the most goals in Serie A this season. They have also scored the most first-half (28) and second-half goals this season (33).
Roberto Mancini insisted Inter are still well in the race for the Champions League spots despite Radja Nainggolan's late strike denying them victory at Roma.
Inter were six minutes away from a first Serie A victory at Stadio Olimpico since 2008 after Ivan Perisic's goal early in the second half on Saturday, but the Belgium midfielder netted with a sliding effort after Edin Dzeko had mishit a shot into his path.
That meant Roma, whose eight-match winning streak in the league was ended, remain five points clear of Inter in the third and final Champions League place, but Mancini is still hopeful of catching them.
"The team put in an excellent performance, which builds on our recent displays," he said.
"There are still so many points up for grabs. If we finish on level points with Roma, we have got the advantage of a better head-to-head record.
"It's still open, we have got eight more games and a long way to go. We need to win every game from now until the end. If we do that, I'm sure we will get third spot.
"There are three teams in front of us [Juventus, Napoli and Roma] who began the season with their eyes on the Scudetto, we are still in the mix and we will keep on pushing for the third-place finish.
"We did really well until Roma threw on Edin Dzeko. After that we found it tough as they switched to long balls.
"Clearly if you concede an equaliser that late there is going to be regret and perhaps we should have scored the second goal.
"We are frustrated that we had to do without three strikers – if we had at least one of Mauro Icardi, Rodrigo Palacio or Stevan Jovetic, we would probably have won the game.
"Roma stepped on the accelerator in the final 10 minutes and they scored on the least well-worked move because Dzeko scuffed that ball and it turned into an assist."
Fifth-placed Fiorentina are also in the mix to finish in the top three and they sit one point behind Inter with a game in hand against struggling Frosinone on Sunday.
Buffon breaks Serie A record for minutes without conceding
20 March 2016
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has broken the record for minutes without conceding a goal in Serie A.
The 38-year-old reached 930 minutes without being beaten in Italy's top flight during Sunday's derby clash with Torino, moving him beyond the previous record set by Sebastiano Rossi of AC Milan in 1994.
Buffon surpassed Juve legend Dino Zoff's club record of 903 minutes when he kept a 10th successive clean sheet during the 1-0 win over Sassuolo on March 11.
Antonio Cassano was the last player to score past Buffon in Serie A, during Juve's 2-1 victory away to Sampdoria on January 10.
Though there are three big clubs said to be close to the France international, the Italian giants remain confident of retaining his services
Juventus director Giuseppe Marotta is confident the Serie A leaders can hold on to star midfielder Paul Pogba .
The France international is continually being linked with a move away from Turin, despite having a contract with Juve until June 2019.
Pogba has been a key figure for Juventus in 2015-16, scoring eight goals in 41 appearances in all competitions.
Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Barcelona are all believed to be keeping a close eye on the 23-year-old, but Marotta expects him to remain at Juventus for the foreseeable future.
"Pogba is a Juventus player and still has an ongoing contract with us," Marotta told reporters.
"Plus he has also told us about his intention to stay with us. All the conditions are there for him to continue with Juventus for the upcoming years.
"The Juventus jersey is something you honour right until the end. It is not a foregone conclusion yet that he will stay at Juventus, because nothing is ever guaranteed in football, but it is highly likely that he will stay put."
Could Inter or AC Milan be at risk of missing the International Champions Cup?
By Oliver Platt
Mar 23, 2016 17:36:00
There is €3.5 million guaranteed to every participant of the pre-season tournament but one of the Italian clubs could find themselves playing Europa League qualifiers instead
Inter and AC Milan could be at risk of missing the International Champions Cup this summer due to a scheduling conflict with the preliminary rounds of the Europa League.
The third-qualifying-round matches in the Europa League are due to be played on July 28 and August 4, with the ICC beginning on July 23 and concluding on August 13.
Both Milan sides have signed up for this year's tournament, despite the risk that one of them could be forced to play in the early stages of the continental competition instead.
If Milan lose the Coppa Italia final to Juventus and finish sixth in Serie A, they will not qualify directly for the Europa League proper and will need to play in those pre-season fixtures.
If Sinisa Mihajlovic's team beat Juve, however, and Inter finish in fifth place in the league, then it will Roberto Mancini's men who play in the third qualifying round.
The two sides currently occupy exactly those positions in Serie A, with Inter trailing fourth-place Fiorentina on goal difference and Milan four points ahead of Sassuolo.
With €3.5 million guaranteed to every participant in the ICC, Inter may find themselves in the strange situation of hoping rivals Juventus win yet another trophy at the Stadio Olimpico on May 21.
Buffon: I can better unbeaten record - I´m already on 42 minutes!
24 March 2016
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has boldly claimed he could better his Serie A record for minutes without conceding.
Buffon conceded for the first time in 11 league matches during the Turin derby on Sunday, capping the record at 973 minutes having already surpassed Sebastiano Rossi's previous mark of 929 in the fourth minute of the game.
But the 38-year-old, who wrote a bizarre open letter to his goal to mark the occasion, has set his sights going even longer without conceding, with Torino striker Andrea Belotti's 48th-minute penalty in the 4-1 win at Stadio Olimpico his new starting point.
"I think I can improve my unbeaten record in Serie A, which I shared with Juventus and a fantastic group of lads," he said.
"Now we start again and I'm already at 42 minutes!"
Buffon is part of the Italy squad preparing to face Spain on Thursday, which could pit him against another veteran goalkeeper in the form of Porto's Iker Casillas, whose place in the national team has come into question of late.
However, Buffon feels Casillas must have the determination to prove his critics wrong if he is to prevent Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea from becoming Spain's starter ahead of Euro 2016.
"In my view the word 'respect' is very important and can have many different readings," he added. "Here we are talking only about football and whether we are liked or not liked by a fan, coach, team-mate or journalist.
"I hope there is respect for me in Italy, just as I am sure there is for Iker in Spain. Of course there are moments in a career that are highs and others lows, but if a professional has always given stratospheric performances has a slight dip then people immediately call it a crisis.
"I don't see that as a lack of respect. I see it as motivation, which at our age is the thing that needs to keep us alive and kicking, the fact someone doubts us and we have to change their minds. It's the joy of this sport!
"I have said that if I deserve to be called up and played, then I do, if not, then I don't. There is a rule in sport, which is that the coach makes his decisions to win, not for any other reason. He wouldn't pick a player if he didn't think he was the best option to win.”
AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi believes the Rossoneri have no chance of re-signing Paris Saint-Germain forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Sweden international has an expiring contract with PSG and is expected to leave the Ligue 1 champions at the end of the season.
Ibrahimovic has been linked with clubs from the Premier League, MLS, Qatar and China, while Milan are also believed to be keen to bring him back to San Siro having been unsuccessful in an attempt to land him last year.
The 34-year-old enjoyed a successful spell with Milan between 2010 and 2012, but a comeback seems out of the question as things stand, with Berlusconi citing financial reasons.
"It is impossible to bring back Ibrahimovic," Berlusconi told Tele Radio Stereo.
"Zlatan is receiving offers from China and the UAE that we simply cannot match."
Milan have also been linked with a surprise move for Francesco Totti, whose future at Roma is in doubt following a contract dispute, but Berlusconi has dismissed suggestions they could lure the 39-year-old away from his current club.
"Totti is impossible, too," he added. "You just don't buy club legends like him.
"I hope that Totti can reach an agreement with Roma to stay put after his active career."
Brozovic admits Inter exit is ´possible´ amid Arsenal links
26 March 2016
Inter midfielder Marcelo Brozovic has refused to rule out the prospect of a transfer at the end of the season.
The Croatia international has been linked with a possible move to Arsenal after impressing under Roberto Mancini in Serie A.
Reports in Italy have also claimed that Roma are preparing a player-plus-cash offer to sign the 23-year-old, who has scored six times in 27 appearances in 2015-16.
Brozovic insists he is committed to Inter's attempts to qualify for the Champions League but suggested that a transfer could be possible after Euro 2016.
"I have heard about these rumours. For now, I am an Inter player and I will behave as such," he told Jutarnji when asked about the Arsenal speculation.
"Everything is possible. We'll see. We'll know more after the Euros. There's nothing more to say at this time, it's too soon."
Brozovic went on to admit that Inter's failure to keep in the running for the Serie A title has been a huge source of frustration.
"To be honest, I'm not satisfied with the position in the table. We were supposed to be among the top three teams," he said.
"There were games where we needlessly dropped points and now we're around the fourth and fifth positions.
"There are still eight games to go and I believe we can still reach third."
Brozovic set up Ivan Perisic to score before doubling the lead himself in Croatia's 2-0 friendly win over Israel on Wednesday.
Juventus breathe sigh of relief over Bonucci injury
30 March 2016 14:19
Juventus have received some good news from the treatment table as Leonardo Bonucci's injury is not as bad as initially feared, with the centre-back expected to return to training at the weekend.
The 28-year-old was carried off on a stretcher in Italy's 4-1 defeat at the hands of Germany on Tuesday and revealed after the game that he "heard a crack".
Bonucci underwent further examination on Wednesday to determine the extent of the knock and Juventus have now revealed he did not suffer any muscle tears.
"After sustaining an injury in Tuesday's international friendly match between Italy and Germany, Leonardo Bonucci underwent medical tests to ascertain the extent of the damage. These ruled out any muscle tears," a statement on the club's official website reads.
"The defender will now rest up for three days before easing back into the team's training schedule."
Bonucci has been a key figure for Juventus this campaign, scoring twice in 42 appearances in all competitions.
Juventus centre-back Giorgio Chiellini has resumed first-team training with the Serie A leaders.
The 31-year-old has been struggling with a calf problem in 2016 and lasted just 36 minutes of the league win over Inter at the end of February.
Chiellini was left out of Antonio Conte's Italy squad for the friendly matches with Spain and Germany, but he could be available for Juve's encounter with Empoli on Saturday.
There are lingering concerns over Andrea Barzagli, Paulo Dybala and Claudio Marchisio, however, who continue to train away from the main group.
"Massimiliano Allegri welcomed back Giorgio Chiellini to this afternoon's first-team training as the defender steps up his recovery process," a Juve statement released on Wednesday read.
"The boss is seeing his ranks bolstered by the day as the Bianconeri return from their respective international duties, with Gianluigi Buffon, Daniele Rugani, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Patrice Evra, Paul Pogba and Simone Zaza the latest to link up with their club team-mates after Alvaro Morata and Mario Mandzukic checked in yesterday.
"Mario Lemina and Juan Cuadrado are set to touch down in the next few hours, while Alex Sandro and Sami Khedira will enjoy an added period of rest due to their suspensions for Saturday evening's encounter against Empoli.
"Andrea Barzagli, Paulo Dybala and Claudio Marchisio continued to train separately."
Leonardo Bonucci is also expected to miss this weekend's game after suffering a muscle injury in Italy's 4-1 defeat to Germany on Tuesday.
Juventus star Paul Pogba would command a world-record fee if he decided to leave the Serie A club, according to Andrea Pirlo.
The 23-year-old France international is in demand after several impressive campaigns with the Italian giants.
He has been linked to numerous clubs, but his agent Mino Raiola has said he is ready to sign a new contract.
Pirlo believes any outfit wanting Pogba would need to pay more than €100million, the fee Real Madrid gave Tottenham for Gareth Bale in 2013.
"Of course, Juventus will want to keep him," he told The Mirror.
"But sometimes you can get to a transfer fee that you can rebuild an entire team with and he would get to that fee.
"At his age, you can build a team around him for the next years. If he does decide to leave, then I think it will be for a world record."
Pirlo played with Pogba at Juve before the veteran midfielder's move to New York City last year.
The 36-year-old was full of praise for the midfielder, saying: "I have played with some great young players, but Pogba was the best young player I have ever seen.
"We saw from his first training session with Juventus that he was special. There was a disbelief among the senior players that Manchester United had allowed him to leave.
"Since then he has grown physically and as a player. For me he is now the most complete central midfield player in the world."
Tuchel desperate for Mkhitaryan stay amid Juventus links
1 April 2016 15:09
Thomas Tuchel is desperate for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to stay put amid speculation linking the Borussia Dortmund playmaker with a move to Juventus.
Mkhitaryan's contract with Dortmund runs until June 2017 and they could opt to cash in on the attacking midfielder if he does not sign a renewal.
Nevertheless, Tuchel is hopeful the 27-year-old, who has scored 20 goals and laid on a staggering 24 assists in 43 goals across all competitions this term, will sign a new deal with BVB.
"We want to hold on to Mkhitaryan at all costs," Tuchel said at a news conference. "Miki is a real champion and we want to keep him.
"Things are pretty clear. The ball is in his court now and I am sure he knows what to do with it.
"Talks with all players are ongoing. Everything is in our own hands at the moment."
Dortmund have been heavily linked with Bayern Munich attacker Mario Gotze in recent weeks, but Tuchel refused to confirm whether they are looking into the possibility of re-signing the Germany international.
"I cannot say anything about Gotze," Tuchel stressed.
"If I say anything about it, it will just turn into a big story again. It would not be right if I was talking about a Bayern Munich player now."
The 31-year-old striker has admitted he would love to return to the Serie A champions and says he believes Paul Pogba could remain in Italy for another season
Fernando Llorente has nothing but fond memories of his time at Juventus and would happily return to the Serie A champions if the opportunity arose.
The striker joined Juventus from Athletic Bilbao on a free transfer in July 2013 and won two Serie A titles before leaving for Sevilla at the start of this season.
Llorente scored 23 goals in 66 games in the Italian top flight and admits that it would be a "dream" to return.
"A return to Juventus? I am only thinking about ending the season on a high with Sevilla for now," the 31-year-old told Tuttosport.
"But you cannot predict what will happen in the future. You can never rule anything out in football.
"I honestly don't know whether a return to Juventus would be possible, but it would be a dream if it happened.
"I enjoyed two fantastic seasons at Juventus and won plenty of trophies. My time at Juventus and winning the World Cup with Spain are the most beautiful things that happened to me during my career."
Llorente enjoyed a close relationship with Paul Pogba during his time in Turin and feels the France star could snub a big-money move away from Juve.
"It would not surprise me if Pogba decided to stay at Juventus," he added.
"Paul is feeling very well at Juventus and there are few teams in the world that are as big as Juventus.
"I speak with Paul a lot, but we don't discuss his future, because that is something personal."
Former AC Milan defender and Italy coach Cesare Maldini has passed away at the age of 84.
The father of another Milan great, Paolo, Maldini died in "the night between Saturday and Sunday, his family announced.
Maldini spent most of his playing career with Serie A giants Milan between 1954 and 1966, winning four Scudetto's and the club's first European Cup in 1963, amassing more than 400 appearances in all competitions.
He also earned 14 caps for Italy, following his debut in 1960, and featured at the World Cup two years' later.
After retiring as a Torino player in 1967, Maldini returned to Milan as coach in 1972, guiding the club to victory in the European Cup Winners' Cup and Coppa Italia.
Maldini then worked as Italy assistant coach from 1980-86 before eventually taking the reins 10 years later, overseeing the 1998 World Cup campaign in France.
Massimiliano Allegri is hopeful Giorgio Chiellini's latest injury is not serious after the centre-back limped out of Juventus' 1-0 home win against Empoli on Saturday.
Juve stretched their lead at the top of Serie A to six points thanks to the victory, with nearest contenders Napoli travelling to Udinese on Sunday.
Mario Mandzukic scored the only goal of the game for Juve shortly before half-time, securing a 20th win in 21 league matches, but the injury to Chiellini threatened to overshadow the result.
"Chiellini was fine beforehand and we'll evaluate this latest development, but hope it's nothing serious," Allegri told Mediaset Premium, adding that Chiellini's replacement Daniele Rugani impressed against his former club.
"He did well, like the others, but young players must be given the time to gain experience without pressure," Allegri said.
"Winning games is absolutely not easy and it becomes even tougher towards the end of the season, especially as Empoli are a side that play good football.
"At this stage of the season the results count for even more and I have to compliment the lads, because winning 20 out of the last 21 rounds is no mean feat.
"The first half was a little more disorganised, but we did better after the break. We need that mental strength that the lads showed this evening.
"Napoli are right there and if they don't slip up then we have to maintain this average to stay on top. We must try to win the fifth consecutive Scudetto and then we've also got the Coppa Italia final with Milan."
Allegri claimed he will sign a new contract to commit his future to Juventus soon, but insisted there is no rush.
"When we have a free afternoon I'll meet with the club and talk," Allegri said.
"I have another year left on my contract anyway, they are happy and so am I.
Ibrahimovic threw Gattuso into a bin at Milan, reveals Silva
4 April 2016
Trash talk from Gennaro Gattuso saw the feisty Italian thrown into a bin by former AC Milan team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic, according to Thiago Silva.
The trio played together at Milan, helping the club to the 2011 Serie A title, before Ibrahimovic and Silva departed for Paris Saint-Germain the following year, and the latter revealed a funny story about the intimidating Swedish striker.
It takes a brave man, usually an opponent, to get on the bad side of Ibrahimovic, but it was team-mate Gattuso who learned the hard way after poking fun at him during a training session.
"The protagonist of this story is Zlatan Ibrahimovic," Brazil international Silva told Sky Deutschland.
"One day, during a training session, Gattuso spent all morning teasing Zlatan. He was provoking him, and Zlatan took it without apparently saying anything. In fact his revenge would come soon after.
"Rino [Gattuso] and Zlatan met again in the dressing room after training, and Ibra lifted the entire weight of his team-mate, flipped him over and threw him in the bin!
"It was crazy, we all started laughing thinking about Gattuso's face. I swear, I couldn't stop laughing for a week!"
Ibrahimovic has since gone on to guide PSG to four successive Ligue 1 titles, while the retired Gattuso is now coach of Italian third tier outfit Pisa.
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone says he expects to take charge of Inter in future.
The former Argentina midfielder has been linked with a number of major European clubs as a result of his impressive four years at the Vicente Calderon, though Atletico president Enrique Cerezo has said he expects him to remain in charge "for a long time".
Simeone is in no hurry to call time on his spell in La Liga but admits he is tempted by the prospect of a return to San Siro, where he won the UEFA Cup in 1998 as a player.
"During my career I expect to go to many places, whether it is now or in the future," he told Sport Mediaset. "Not right now, because I am happy here, but there will be an opportunity to return to Milan.
"It is not a dream. It is a situation I have imagined, just like how I imagined that I would return to Atletico."
Simeone, linked with Chelsea earlier this season, has stated previously he would consider taking charge of Lazio, a club with whom he enjoyed a hugely successful playing spell.
The 45-year-old signed a new deal with Atleti last year, which expires in 2020.
