MILAN – Nerazzurri defender Jonathan spoke to journalists at the Marriott Hotel in Milan on the sidelines of the 19th Gentleman Awards, where he was named Inter’s Revelation of the Year.

He began by revealing what the prize means to him: "This is an important award in what has been a huge season for me. I wanted to prove what I can do. I’d like to thank everyone who voted for me and I hope to do well again next season. I thank Mazzarri and his backroom staff, my family, who have always been right behind me, and all the fans who have believed in me as a footballer.

"We’re at a crucial stage of the season and we have to summon all our strength. We lost against one of our main rivals but we realise this is the time for us to show how strong we are. It’s Lazio next, a massive game. We have to win it to prove how good we are and take another step closer to Europe.

"Zanetti? This is a happy moment for him and for the rest of us. We’re right behind him because he’s a great player besides being our captain. He’s been an important player not only for Inter but for football in general. We know he’ll be emotional just like lots of other people will, our fans included, but as he’s said himself, what matters most on Saturday is the game: we have to win it so that he can be even happier.

"Is the team behind Mazzarri? 100%. If I could ask the club for one thing it would be for him to stay, because he’s a coach who wants to win and he gets angry when it doesn’t happen. I think he’s a perfect coach for Inter and hopefully he will remain. I’m rooting for him. Now we need to get Inter into the Europa League, then it will be even easier for the club to go down that route.

"Can we win things under Mazzarri? Of course we can. He wants to win all the time and when we don’t, we learn from our mistakes the next day. He’s always talking to us individually to help us learn from our mistakes. With a few more quality additions that he’ll ask the club for, Inter can be even better next season and challenge for the big prizes like the Champions League and the Scudetto – that’s where Inter should be.

"The fans aren’t happy after the derby but we’re in the running for a Europa League spot. It’s a particular moment in which they have to stand even closer to the team and the coach. We must win our last two games, starting with this one against Lazio: we need the fans to make themselves heard and spur the team on until the end.

"The dressing room reaction after the derby was good. It was a game no one wanted to lose but we’re all firmly behind the coach. He knows he has the team’s backing and there’s a great atmosphere in our dressing room. We have to move on from defeat against AC Milan and think about Lazio. When you lose a game, people start saying the coach has lost the dressing room, that he’s furious, but it’s not true. We have to be sure about what we have to do and then put it into practice against Lazio on Saturday.

"Zanetti not playing in the derby? All the coach’s decisions are taken for the good of the team. If he decided not to play him there’ll have been a reason for it. I’m sure he made the choice thinking about how to win the game, even though we didn’t manage to, but it’s a choice he’s made in other games as well. The derby is not a normal game but the coach is aware of what he’s done and what he still needs to do. We’re all behind him.

"You can learn so much from Zanetti. He’s a magnificent professional, in everything he does. You can count the injuries he’s had on one hand. It’s a shame he’s about to leave the game but he’ll always be close to our team.

"Nilton? I know him and I’ve played alongside him but that’s the sort of thing for the club to discuss."

MILAN – The Nerazzurri wideman spoke to BeIN Sport and Sport Mediaset following the Gentleman Awards.

Here’s what he had to say:

How important is this award to you?
"This is a very important award for me, because it’s the first I’ve received in the three years I’ve been in Italy. I’d like to thank my family and the fans who believe in the way I play. But what matters now is finishing the season well, getting into the Europa League and trying to do better next year."

How would you assess your own season?
"I think it’s gone well this year personally, it’s been a big season for me but also for Inter because we didn’t qualify for Europe last season, whereas this term we’re fighting until the end. The fans would definitely be happy if we get back into Europe."

What will Inter be like next season?
"An Inter side that needs to compete for the title and qualify for the Champions League. That’s the sort of season Inter need to have. It’s a big club that always needs to compete at the top end of the table: that’s what we’ll fight for next season."

Are you disappointed you didn’t make the Brazil World Cup squad?
"No, I’m not sad, in fact I’m delighted for all the guys who did get called up like Maicon and Hernanes, who now plays for Inter. I know they were hard calls for Scolari to make because there are so many good players in every position. I hope Brazil can do well in the World Cup, because we’re playing at home in front of lots of supporters. Let’s hope we win it."

What did Mazzarri and the players say after the disappointing derby performance?
"I’m sorry but I can’t tell you what was said because it has to remain in the dressing room. These are things that need to make you more of a team, and we know everyone’s gutted at the moment about having lost a hugely important derby. It’s not a good period for us, but we need to stay together and wait for this last home game to Lazio that we have to win to get closer to the Europa League."

Have you thought about why the match was so tough for Inter particularly from a psychological perspective?
"Games like that happen, sometimes you play badly, and that was the case in the derby. Just as they lost the first game. It’s not an excuse, but we know that our team can give more than we did in the last match against AC Milan. We hope to play good football against Lazio on Saturday and pick up three huge points for us."

Are you emotional about Zanetti’s last home game?
"Definitely, he’s a really important person not just for us but for the football world in general. He’s a player who’s won everything there is to win, who has everyone’s respect and he’s our captain. But, as he said, the important thing at this moment in time is just thinking about Lazio and winning the game. Then we can party with him afterwards."

Are you not disappointed that superstars like Kakà and Ronaldinho won’t be at the World Cup with Brazil?
"Of course it’s a shame, but that’s football. You can never know the way it’s going to go. Other big players will definitely come in like Neymar, Lucas and others who are shining in Brazil and will also shine in Europe."

APPIANO GENTILE – “We got things wrong against AC Milan, it hurt the lads and me, as I’m the man in charge of it all.” This is what Walter Mazzarri said on the eve of Inter v Lazio, as he faced the media.

“After
the defeat we’ve worked to go out there and put in a completely
different performance to the one we showed against AC Milan, when we
weren’t able to demonstrate what we wanted nor what we’re capable of
doing. Now we want to bounce back and show the derby was just a bump in
the road, something I’m in charge of.

“Now my first aim is to
best motivate the team to play a great match against Lazio. I feel safe
in the knowledge that I’ve always given everything for the cause. We’ll
then see where we are come the end of the season. The fans’ reaction?
Fans are very emotional, they have every right to be, they live in the
emotion of the moment, but I enjoy being the lightning rod, it’s part of
a coach’s job. Besides, the club knows what goes on, what’s happened,
the work the coach puts in and how it goes beyond a specific moment in
time.”

The coach then spoke about Zanetti’s final match at the
Meazza. But the captain was the first to want the lads focused on the
game, without distractions: “He said it himself – explained Mazzarri –
speaking as a great leader, and I hope that the ground is full tomorrow,
the atmosphere is positive and there’s great motivation for the match
to give us the enthusiasm and drive we need to get over this hurdle in
front of us. Will Zanetti play? You’ll see who I pick tomorrow. I speak
to him on a daily basis, he knows that my choices are always logical and
done based on beating the opposition. Either way, Zanetti is an Inter
legend, it’s weird to think we’ll no longer see him out there playing or
training, he’s emblematic of this club. It’s emotional when such an
important footballer retires, not just for the fans either.”