EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Mancini supports Ranieri's Leicester City in EPL title race
“I’m impressed as I have played for Leicester and I know the environment, though the team's changed a lot.
I played there for one month, and am a fan of the club. I am very happy that Ranieri is at Leicester and that the Foxes are top of the table. Ranieri deserves to win something important, and if Leicester win the title, it would be something great. I would definitely vote for them!".
It seems to me that the Premiership has had a profound impact both on Mancini the player and Mancini the man. What has it given you? And would you like to work again in England one day?
“The Premier League is beautiful because they experience football in a different way: unlike Italy, you don't get criticized for losing one or a handful of games; the stadiums are always full, something I consider to be the sport's best feature.
The fans experience the game the right way, and so do the players; once it’s over, they have to think about the next match. I think that coaching in the Premier League for many years, winning it and bringing home the FA Cup has been a great experience for me”.
Guardiola is about to join City and there are many rumors about him being on bad terms with Yaya Touré, who, on the flipside, sees you as an older brother. Last year he looked to be on the brink of joining Inter: do you consider him to be an important player?
“I don’t know what will happen to City. They have many great players. They've had the best team in England for five years now, whether they win or not. Touré is a great player, but so are his team-mates, so I don’t really know what will happen”
MANCINI A CM VIDEO4 - 'Tifo Leicester e Ranieri... di calciomercatocom
You said that you belie that Inter could qualify for the next Champions League. Do you think that you are going through a path that will take Inter to play in the Champions League and fight for the scudetto? This year, somebody had the illusion that Inter could already play a role in the race for the title. It didn’t happen, but it could be in the next season.
“When a new era begins, when you start a new path that can bring the club to win again, it’s normal that there are both good and bad moments: we have been on top of the table for many matchdays, so it means that we have done something good. We have to remember which our goal for the season is, and I think that we still have some chances to achieve it. It won’t be easy, but we’ll do our best. Then, we’ll see what happens next year. Every season, our team improves, let’ see if we’ll have the possibility to be compete with those teams that at the moment are ahead of us”
Somebody has some doubts about the club. As you work next to the president, what can you say about it?
“My job is not to control what the president does. I’m sure that Inter will start to win again, as our president wants to invest in the team”
You’ve attracted some criticisms in recent times, is there any comment that has left you a bit disappointed?
“Well, I don’t read newspapers. I watch football matches on TV, but not football talk-shows. I respect journalists, but I have no great expectations when praises are exaggerated, like at the beginning of the season and, nor when criticisms are too harsh or even offensive. I don’t read newspapers so I have no problems.”
Even offensive?
“Sure, that’s what they’ve reported me. I can hear something sometimes, but it’s not like when you are a footballer and your read newspapers every day. That’s not like that anymore. Neither criticisms or compliments can influence me.”
Have you ever had the feeling that Inter have attracted more criticisms than other Serie A teams this term, even when thing were looking rosy?
“Well, journalists are also football fans, so it really depends on who’s writing.”
Even some of your former colleagues are too heavy occasionally.
“Talking is much easier than doing, but I can understand it. It costs nothing and the day after no one is going to them saying “listen, probably you got a couple of things wrong yesterday’. It all belongs to the circus of Italian football, that’s what Italian football is about. We like controversies, debates and mess, but I know it’s our way to live football, so it’s fine. Inter are a big club too, so when things are not going the right direction everything becomes excessive, from critical remarks to compliments.”
Do you like Banega? Reports claim he will join Inter next season.
“I don’t know whether Banega will arrive here or not, you should ask Piero (Ausilio, Inter’s DS). He’s a very technical player, he is a regular starter for Argentina national team, let’s see what’s going to happen in June.”
Do you know Erkin too?
“Well, yes because I’ve coached in Turkey. He’s a former Fenerbache and Galatasaray player. I know him very well, he’s a good player.”
What about Ljajic? You said he has an amazing talent but sometimes he should train better. Were you that kind of player too? “No, not when I was 25, maybe when I was 16. I can understand him, but Ljajic has huge qualities and he should really start thinking as a pro. The playing career doesn’t last too long, some young players can’t understand it. He has to make the most of his qualities, because being a football player is easy, especially for players like him. You just need to concentrate for two, three hours, before, during and after trainings. It’s a shame to see players wasting their talent.”
Are you going to be Inter’s boss next season too?
“If they don’t fire me yes. But things can change very fast in football. At the beginning of the season, they should have fired Allegri, now they want to offer him a twenty-year contract. At the same time I was supposed to stay here for the next 56 years and now they want to fire me. This is football, things change very fast.”
I know you’d like to become Italy’s national team coach one day. Would it be surprising to you if the Italian FA would offer you the Italy job considered that you are not on good terms with Claudio Lotito?
“Sincerely, he’s the Lazio president so he has nothing to do with the Italian FA. There is one FA president, I don’t know him very well as we only met a couple of times, so I have no problems at all with him. That’s just clarify some reports. There is only one president, all the rest doesn’t matter.”
“As far as I am concerned, and the same goes for any other Italian gaffer, coaching Italy national team could enhance my career after having coached lot of big teams. That would be a great honor, like for any other Italian coach. Not everyone is given this chance to do it and it’s something that doesn’t happen very frequently.”
Do you think Juventus will win the league or Napoli can still beat them?
“I think they’ll battle until the very end, even if AS Roma are not too far from them. There 10 games left and if Roma will carry on this way, they could be involved in the title race too. We hope no, because we’re going to meet them in two weeks time, but Juve and Napoli will definitely be there.”
You’ve both won and lost titles after comebacks during your playing career
“That’s why I am saying nothing is impossible. There are still 30 points available and lot of direct rivals have yet to face each other. Everything can still happen.”
Stefano Agresti @SteAgresti, translated by Cm.com english staff, Marco Gori, Lorenzo Bettoni, Edo Dalmonte
