Luciano Spalletti warned he will “hammer” Inter players, demand they feel part of the club’s history and prefers Borja Valero to “some kid who sulks on the bench.”

The former Roma and Zenit Coach sat down with La Gazzetta dello Sport to discuss his new experience and changing the mentality at San Siro.

“Feel my hands. I have the hands of someone who loves to be in the countryside, tend to plants and feed the animals,” he noted.

Luciano Spalletti warned he will “hammer” Inter players, demand they feel part of the club’s history and prefers Borja Valero to “some kid who sulks on the bench.”

The former Roma and Zenit Coach sat down with La Gazzetta dello Sport to discuss his new experience and changing the mentality at San Siro.

“Feel my hands. I have the hands of someone who loves to be in the countryside, tend to plants and feed the animals,” he noted.

“I have feelings and will try with all my strength to transfer my working method and my convictions to the team. That’s to Inter as a team, not as individuals. Because these players have a lot of quality, but then everyone thinks they’ve done their bit and that doesn’t work as a collective.

“Every player feels like they are owed something, whereas they need to worry about giving something. A lot. Anyone who works with me must feel totally convinced.

“Those who play here must feel they are Inter, not just a player who is at Inter. Otherwise there’s no point talking about a sense of belonging.

“The lads mustn’t think: ‘I am Candreva or Murillo, an Inter player,’ but rather ‘I am Inter!’ You need to always keep in mind the great history of this club.

“I will hammer this concept into them in every instant. If they don’t understand what it means to wear the Inter shirt, then we’ll get nowhere.

“Just as I was for Roma and the other clubs I coached before, I am excited to be able to work at Inter and I want the same sentiment from my players. It’s the only way to create the right symbiosis involving everyone. That includes the kit staff, who must be happy if Inter win and give everything to ensure the lads do well.”

Stefano Pioli had a brief spell on the Inter bench and has now joined Fiorentina, so will Spalletti ask his predecessor for advice?

“Pointing out first of all that I do not feel superior to any of the Coaches who came before me and I admire Pioli a great deal, I need to look the lads in the eye to understand if they’ve got the right conviction.

“I felt the Inter atmosphere when Roma came to San Siro. We were on a run of victories, they were out for the count, yet the stadium was full. Because instead of giving up, the fans were firing them up even more.”

Inter are affected by Financial Fair Play considerations and therefore need to sell before they can buy, which inevitably slows down their transfer activity.

“It can cause some complications, but not so much because we fear losing big players, rather that we want to have a word with this group. We’ve got to start hammering them in mind and body so they bring that to the pitch.

“Depending on who leaves, we’ll change objective on the market, but we certainly have to do something. Our directors are ready for any eventuality. We will certainly sign two defenders.”

Spalletti has been heavily linked with Antonio Rudiger, Wojciech Szczesny and Radja Nainggolan moves to join him at Inter and dropped similar hints.

“It’s one thing to get someone who you can talk to and who knows your football. It’s quite another to sign a kid who doesn’t understand, wants to play all the time and starts sulking if he’s on the bench.”

Inter are making bids for Fiorentina pair Federico Bernardeschi and Borja Valero.

“Borja Valero can be a playmaker or a trequartista, has plenty of character and you rarely get the ball off him. He can play anywhere in midfield and can act as a leader to the others. We need men like that, because it’s hard to get a result focusing on players who are only 22 or 23 years old.

“Character is essential in football and we need to immediately show our identity. Inter must be a permanent thing with a clear profile.

“Our duty is to feel like Champions League qualification is a minimum requirement. However, looking at the last season, we’d need another nine or 10 victories to bridge the gap with the top three. That’s not forgetting that those three are also reinforcing.

“Before any of that, let me look my players in the eye and see how they react to my suggestions.”

Image via @inter

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