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Inter, during the presentation of Severgnini’s book, the Nerazzurri executive addressed key topics for the club such as growth, identity, and the stadium project.

Giuseppe Marotta, sports director of Inter, was the protagonist of the presentation event for Beppe Severgnini’s book, Inter: The New Century, an opportunity that allowed for an in-depth discussion of some fundamental issues related to the current state of the Nerazzurri club. With his experience and diplomatic style, the former Juventus executive touched on numerous topics ranging from the recent past to the strategic future of the team.

Inter, Marotta: “Barella? He has improved a lot”

Following the words of Marotta:

CHOICE OF COACH
“Why did I choose Conte? Because at that moment, I was convinced that the club needed him. But the choice of coach is also appropriate to the moment when you choose him. There are times when you need people who have firmness and authority and others when perhaps the team is already well-drilled and maybe you need more of a manager. Sometimes we were criticized for signing so many free agents, but it’s also difficult to court them.”

A NEW BARELLA
“How did we work on the attitude of fiery players like Barella? When there is an appointment, we also study the referee and what kind of relationship to have with him. Barella in the past was lacking in his attitude towards match officials, today he has improved a lot because we don’t just study the opponent but also the referee.”

STADIUM ISSUE
“The stadium issue is a serious and delicate topic. Before we talked about belonging, and in this regard, I believe it is important to have a stadium, a home to live in and where to consume passion. All week long, not just one day a week, engaging in various activities.

Football is a phenomenon of aggregation that comes second only to religion. The difficulties arise from the Italian bureaucracy, which slows down every initiative and causes investors to flee. This has happened in many cities, I was in Venice with Zamparini in ’97, he bought a piece of land and it’s still there after 30 years.

The bureaucracy should see the stadium fall under the Ministry of Infrastructure, it is a minimal investment of one billion, which has positive effects nationally and would eliminate many useless obstacles. Milan and Inter want to build the stadium together, and the latest convergences are towards the San Siro site, but with these bureaucratic difficulties that arise, the same.”

A STING
“A club like Inter, for its history, prestige, and achievements, for all this attention we seek, cannot say I want to win the league or the Champions League, but must always seek to win. That’s why I’m always very realistic. When I hear executives from important teams say that the important thing is to finish in the top four… No, the important thing is to win, then if you don’t win, that’s fine, it means the opponents were better.

The bar must always be set high: if I aim to sign very important players and then I fail, it’s not that I’m inadequate. Probably the conditions were not right to conclude, but the attempt must be made. Today we are in the Champions League, so why not fight to win it? Why not also fight in the league? Then it depends on the opponents and also on us, but we must not be afraid and it seems obvious to me.”