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INTER: Mancini: "Decisive month ahead"

/noticias.info/ APPIANO GENTILE - Part two of Roberto Mancini's Inter v Juventus news conference:

Besides showing great respect for Inter, David Trezeguet said defiantly in an interview that Juventus are coming to Milan to win.
"I heard Trezeguet's interview yesterday. It didn't seem to me that he said anything strange. He rightly said that he always thinks of playing to win, because he plays for a great team and he's a Juventus player. I don't think Trezeguet said anything wrong."

How can you explain Patrick Vieira's great match against Palermo after the Frenchman's bad game against Liverpool?
"Patrick is getting back in condition, but I don't think think he played a bad game against Liverpool. With his physical characteristics he needs to play with continuity to get back to his best. The more he plays the more his condition will improve. He did very well against Palermo, and like I just said, he didn't do as badly against Liverpool as some people make out."

Do you think the next four matches will be decisive for the Scudetto?
"They are all important matches, and Roma have the Champions League in between. It will be an important month, so it could also be a decisive one."

It seems as if there's a goalkeeper crisis in Italy. There has been talk of Francesco Toldo going to the European Championship. What do you think about this?
"I think Buffon is the best, and then there are other good Italian keepers. I don't think there's any goalkeeper crisis in Italy, but perhaps there are too many injuries. I think Toldo can go to the European Championship because he has experience. He hasn't played much lately but he has always made sure he's ready when called into action. Sometimes there are generations when there are great strikers or great defenders, and others when there are great goalkeepers."

Have you ever had a season with so many sendings-off, including when you were a player? How much have your players been to blame for their sendings-off, and how harsh have the referees been?
"I'm not a statistician so I haven't gone and looked, but I don't think it has ever happened so much. But it's nothing to do with percentage of blame. Some fouls that didn't use to be sanctioned, are now are penalised with bookings, so it's normal for there to be a second yellow if the next foul is even worse. It has certainly changed the way matches are refereed and the players have to be more careful. But sometimes players are booked for fouls in situations where play could be allowed to continue."

Did you know that Inter are the most disciplined team in the championship. They're the team that has committed the fewest fouls...
"No, I didn't know this."

Do you think Mario Balotelli can be part of Inter's future?
"Balotelli is an Inter player. He's a young lad. He's seventeen years old and the most important thing is for him to become a good player. He could be the future of Inter."

How important is the fact that you practically knocked Juventus out of the Tim Cup with your reserves?
"We were doing well in that period, but we didn't have the reserves on the pitch. Apart from Balotelli and Pelé there were all those who usually play in the championship. Some players might have rested, but it's still a game that motivates those who play less. Inter might be better than Juventus at the moment, but these values are cancelled out in matches like these because there are other motivations. It's always a very open match."

There are those who continue to say that Roma are playing better than Inter. Does this annoy you?
"I have said several times that Roma play entertaining football and play well, and they did the same last season. However, I hope it finishes like last season... Those who judge a match or a team are free to think which one is the best or the most entertaining."

Juventus have alternated good performances with less good performances...
"This can happen to everyone at this stage of the season. It's a bit harder for everyone in this period." notas_de_prensa_archivo