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APPIANO GENTILE – Inter were back at work today at the Centro Sportivo Angelo Moratti.

After the warm-up, the squad was divided into two groups. The first group, consisting of those who saw the most action in the last league match, performed aerobic work. The remaining players focused on change-of-direction exercises.

The session then ended with the ball possession drills and a training game. 

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MILAN – Slavko Vincic, from Slovenia, will referee Saint-Etienne v Inter, the Matchday 4 game of the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League. The clash will take place on Thursday 6 November at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard (kick-off at 19:00).

The 35-year-old Vinic has been an international referee since 2010. He will have Jure Praprotnik and Tomaz Klancnik as assistants, while the fourth official will be Andraz Kovacic. Bojan Mertik and Davor Drecnik will serve as additional assistants.  

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MILAN – Managing director Marco Fassone was a guest on Rai 2’s La Domenica Sportiva show on Sunday night, where he discussed a range of Inter-related topics.

He began by commenting on the last league match against Parma and the team’s overall performances so far this season. “We’re not looking for excuses for our defeat to Parma, although we were close to equalising in the first 25 minutes of the second period and that could have changed the course of the game. However, I would rather look at the wider picture and weigh up the 15 games we’ve played so far this season. We’ve done well in the Europa League and on Thursday we have a match against Saint-Étienne which we hope can prove decisive in booking our place in the last 32. We’ve had some ups and downs in Serie A. We made a late comeback against Napoli then got two wins in which we played well, especially against Sampdoria.”

The managing director also commented on Walter Mazzarri. “The management and president Erick Thohir have spoken together and we don’t think there’s a coach crisis. It’s hard to take because in recent years Inter have achieved a ninth, a fifth and a sixth place, and everyone is waiting for the right year to get back in the position our team deserves. It could be this year because we have plenty of room for improvement.”

On a potential change of formation: “The coach is happy to do that, especially during the game. When he realised there was no space against Parma he decided to switch formation. He’s shown he’s flexible enough to do that.”

Fassone also replied to questions about Financial Fair Play and Inter’s meeting with UEFA this week. “It’s a big problem because you can no longer have a shareholder who is happy to run the risk himself. The rules impose a maximum imbalance of €15 million so you need to make sure you harmonise your incomings and outgoings. We’ll see UEFA in Nyon on 7 November and outline the club’s development plan. We’ll set out the path we’re on, starting with our wage bill, which we’ve cut by €70 million compared to three years ago, and explain how we’re going to increase our revenue.”

On relations between Erick Thohir and Massimo Moratti: “They’ve always had a very friendly relationship, not only on a personal level but also in terms of managing the club. They speak to each other nearly every day. Moratti’s departure may well have had an influence. The transition phase hasn’t been completed yet; leaving after 19 years is never an easy route to take.”

Finally, the managing director was asked about Inter’s squad and if any signings will be made in the January transfer window. “If needed, we’ll act in line with the financial strategies we adopted in the summer. I don’t think it will be necessary because we already have an excellent squad of players but we’ll see if there are any more injuries between now and the end of December then look at the situation if required.”