Fredy Guarin thanked Roberto Mancini for changing the Inter “mentality” and feels closer to the fans than ever.
The midfielder had been on the verge of joining their arch-rivals Juventus last year when President Erick Thohir suddenly pulled the plug on the exchange with Mirko Vucinic.
He was then ready to walk away again until Walter Mazzarri was sacked and Mancini took over at San Siro.
Fredy Guarin thanked Roberto Mancini for changing the Inter “mentality” and feels closer to the fans than ever.
The midfielder had been on the verge of joining their arch-rivals Juventus last year when President Erick Thohir suddenly pulled the plug on the exchange with Mirko Vucinic.
He was then ready to walk away again until Walter Mazzarri was sacked and Mancini took over at San Siro.
“Without doubt this is the best I’ve been at Inter,” he told the Corriere dello Sport. “Before I lacked consistency and couldn’t even stay on the same level throughout 90 minutes.
“Over the years at Inter I learned many things and the attacking mentality the team has now allows me to play the way I want to.
“I feel Mancini has real faith in me and that makes me happy. It means a lot for a player. I’ve been far more consistent with him on the bench.
“Since Mancini arrived we’ve changed our mentality, our daily routine, the enthusiasm and also the tactics, as we play a very different type of football now.
“We try to take the initiative and be protagonists throughout the game. We are a big club and we ought to always play on the attack, looking to win.
“I always gave me best in a three-man midfield, too, where I could cover the defence and also push forward to look for a goal.
“I really liked Patrick Vieira, but one of my Coaches at Porto – Jesualdo Ferreira – told me if I believed in myself more I could’ve reached the level of Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard.
“Of the current crop, the midfielders I like the most are Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba and Andres Iniesta.”
Mancini also gave Guarin the captain’s armband when Andrea Ranocchia was injured, a huge show of faith considering how bad relations had become with Inter fans at one stage.
“In the difficult moments I’ve had over the last three years, I never thought that it could happen. If I think of those who wore that armband in the past, like Javier Zanetti, Ivan Cordoba, Ronaldo and Beppe Bergomi, it gives me goosebumps.
“The situation with Juve in January 2014 was the toughest moment. I get asked about it in every interview and frankly I don’t want to discuss it any more.
“Things went a certain way, I remained at Inter and I was happy with that, as I always felt at home here. This January? The only side I could’ve joined was Valencia, but I am content at Inter.
“We don’t intend to take different paths, though I understand my performances in the past weren’t always up to the Inter standard. Now I’m playing well and I feel more Interista than ever.
“When a Coach like Mancini has faith in you and there’s support from teammates and club, it’s easier to give your best.”