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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 of Beppe Severgnini’s book, Inter: the new century, an opportunity to delve into some fundamental issues related to the current state of the nerazzurri club. With his experience and diplomatic style, the former director of Juventus 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 the coach is also appropriate to the moment in which you choose him. There are times when you need people who have firmness and authority and others when maybe the team is already well-established and you need more of a manager. Sometimes we were criticized for signing 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 a designation, we also study the referee and what kind of relationship to maintain with him. Barella in the past lacked the right attitude towards the officials, today he has improved a lot because we not only study the opponent but also the referee.”

STADIUM ISSUE
“The issue of the stadium is a serious and delicate matter. 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, 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 an Italian bureaucracy that slows down any 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 as part of the Ministry of Infrastructure, it is a minimal investment of a 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, it’s challenging.”

A SHOT
“A company like Inter, for its history, prestige, and track record, for all this attention that we seek, cannot say I want to win the league or the Champions League, but must always strive to win. That’s why I am 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, and if we don’t win, it means that the opponents were better.

The bar must always be high: if I aim to sign very important players and then fail, it’s not that I am 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 fight in the league as well? It depends on the opponents and also on us, but we should not be afraid, and it seems obvious to me.”