APPIANO GENTILE – Hernanes spoke to BeIn Sport Doha
about his feelings two days before his first ever Milan derby.

He said: "I can’t
wait until Sunday even if we know that we have to take every day as it comes. As
this is one of the most watched derbies in the world, playing in it for the
first time is very important to me. I want to prepare for it properly,
with enthusiasm, so that the days until Sunday pass quickly and so that I reach
the game in good shape.

"As I said before the Napoli match, we need to pull out
all our strength of character. Heart and desire to win make the difference. I really
like the saying that states your desire to prepare properly for a game has to
be even greater than your desire to win it. First and foremost we have to win
because it’s a derby, a very special game. We have more than one reason to want
to win it. How do you prepare for such a game? On the training ground, as we’ve
always done. The boss has always told us to prepare for every game as much as
possible and we’ll do the same again this time, preparing everything down to
the finest detail and with the belief that we’re doing the right thing."

What’s needed in a game against AC Milan? "You have to manage your
energy well, as that’s what a derby is all about. Perhaps even push as much as
possible at the start. But everything has to be a mix of desire, heart and
being able to manage the game. Our organisation between defence and attack is
good.

"What’s my opinion on AC Milan? They’re a strong side. They didn’t start
the season well, but recently they’ve been better, winning five in a row. They
have tremendous players. Strong players. It’ll be a good battle."

Hernanes also spoke about the differences between this derby and the Rome
derby: "The rivalry is felt even more in the capital. When I signed for Lazio
there were still three or four months to go before the derby, and already everyone was
asking me to score a goal against Roma. They would constantly implore me to."

Finally, a word on the World Cup: "Right now I’m in good form. That’s
to say I’m training every day, I’m playing regularly and I feel I’m ready to
earn a call-up. I hope it comes. It’s fantastic that the tournament is being
played in Brazil. It’s an honour to be able to be part of the Brazilian
national side, and having the chance to represent Brazil would be incredible. There
will be an amazing atmosphere there."

APPIANO GENTILE – Before returning to Jakarta, FC Internazionale president Erick Thohir gave an exclusive interview to Inter Channel.

This is what he said:

"Going to Madrid was an opportunity for me to learn. I believe that as a human you always have to improve your knowledge. For me being in Madrid and having an opportunity to see their training facilities that were built a few years back was awesome. Because the way they set up their facilities is perfect. Of course we can not copy 100% what they have because we’re in a transition period but we’re going to make improvements at La Pinetina over the next few years. One of the areas we need to improve is the gym facilities, and also for other things. It’s good for the players too. Having something similar to Valdebebas training centre is the right direction.

"In terms of the stadium, I think ours is beautiful. For the business models of the club it will stay that way. The revenue has to go up and you need discipline in the budgeting, you fine-tune things. And at the same time it’s important to sustain the club because you can build something but if you don’t take care of the maintenance then what’s the point? That’s why the business side is very important. Real Madrid do the same and we want to compete with them. We’re still in the top 15 clubs in the world and they are number one or number two. But we want to be number 10 and then slowly get closer to them. It’s not easy, we have to work very hard, but there’s an opportunity because our revenue can still grow.

"The other thing that I learnt was about Inter Forever. It’s good to stay connected with the former heroes we have. We need to respect what they’ve done for the club. I saw Real Madrid also do the same, so 8 June will be an exciting game for us in Madrid. And if that wasn’t enough, we have another game with them in the US on 26 July. So overall it was a good experience for me. It’s good to learn and understand what other clubs do, so that we can benchmark, see what is good for us and what is not, and take the good things on board ourselves."

"Revenue has to grow. It’s good when I see my management and team working very hard and we achieve something. And when the partners like Infront believe in the project it’s good. And what we have right now is €80 million for four years, it’s increased by 50%. That’s good, but we’re not stopping there. That’s also why we’d like to work and understand things with our partners, like Pirelli and Nike, such as how we can grow together globally. At the same time we want to have discussions with other partners like Volvo, Deutsche Bank and other companies that can work with us. It’s good that they trust our project. It’s an exciting moment and it can show how our team can grow. And you see the results. The Infront deal is a good deal but it’s not enough. We need to keep growing. 

"I’ve known the derby for a long time. But of course as the president there’s different pressure and different emotions. We won the first one. I believe the second game will be very tough because both teams want to earn points. For us the last three games are very important. We want to make sure we get back to Europe. It’s good for us to be playing in different competitions, not only for the experienced players but also for the younger ones, so they get enough playing time. That’s why it’s exciting to have tours, especially when you have games against Real Madrid, Manchester United, Roma. It’s good to improve the team’s consistency. It’s good for us as a benchmark and for our young players to have experience. 

"Would I like to say something special to the players? I believe the coach and players will play their best for the derby. I’m looking forward to the points – if possible three points. I know it’s not easy but we’ve been discussing this. I believe we can do our best, not only for the AC Milan game but also for the last two games. Who do I think can settle the derby? Well, I want to see all the players giving their best, so if we win then all the players are ‘man of the match’. Because to win you need the whole team, not just one player."

What has Inter given Erick Thohir in these first six months? "Well, I’m not here for the glamour, I’m here to work. The trust that Inter and Massimo Moratti have placed in me is an honour. That’s why when we had the shareholders’ meeting I said it’s an honour for me to be part of the family. It’s emotional too because I never thought I’d be president, but I just want to work hard and build a strong team with the management and the staff . Inter’s giving me lots of things. Sometimes people recognise me more than before and actually that’s tough. In Jakarta they know me already but when I go to London and in Milan and Italy now, forget it. When I go to a restaurant, it’s like ‘You met the president in that restaurant? It’s unbelievable.’ But I’m a regular person. I walk in the streets of London and people come up to you because they recognise you. It’s a good thing but you lose some of your privacy.

"Inter is a big brand and I represent Inter, but I keep saying that Inter must be at the top, not Thohir at the top. Inter is the number one thing for us. So everybody under Inter has to respect Inter and its traditions. Because Inter is Inter, not only a football team but a history of human beings, a history of brotherhood. It’s good that we can contribute something for Inter. And I think we all agree when we say ‘This is us here and Inter is higher.’

"I even mentioned it to the coach and players: with all your famous names Inter are still bigger than you. That’s why when I make the decisions I think of what’s best for us, the fans. Not what’s best for me. That’s why when the media says, ‘You’re buying Hernanes’, I say, ‘No, Inter are buying Hernanes’. We make decisions together. 

"Of course in the last five months I’ve been very focused on the reorganisation of the company, in terms of what we had in the shareholders’ meeting, and on how to create more revenue and building the team. I’m really looking forward to the future regarding other aspects of Inter: the media, the website, the stadium facilities. At this time I still don’t feel I have that kind of focus because of other priorities. Basically there are a lot of things to do in the next two years. Good luck for the derby, I’ll be watching from Indonesia. Forza Inter!"

APPIANO GENTILE – "I have a lot of respect for AC Milan. They were playing better than Roma last week before they fell behind. They’re an improving side." Walter Mazzarri wanted to put it on record from the start that tomorrow’s derby will be a fiery encounter, as the derby between Inter and Milan always is.

The Nerazzurri coach was in no mood for handing the opposition any sort of advantage either, and he deflected all attempts to tease details about his team selection out of him: "I don’t think Seedorf said who he’s going to field so why should I?" he replied to the journalists’ probing with a smile.

"Jonathan is one of the doubts I might have in my mind. I need to work out how fit he is. I’ll leave it late before deciding who I think is the best option to go with from the off.

"Andreolli? It’s important that after a year in which he’s hardly played he was able to turn in the performance he did. Then when it comes to picking the team I have to look at form and consistency. He’s taken a step closer to the others performance-wise and that’s important with next season in mind.

Guarin? When you have a squad of a certain level you need to rotate. I look at the period, form, the team as a whole, and there are natural choices. Alvarez is ok but I don’t know how long he’s got in him.

"Nagatomo has been performing well, he’s looked good. I hope he’s on his game because when he is he brings us quality and running."

So who stands to lose most in this derby? That was another question put to Mazzarri. "It’s not something I’ve asked myself. I’m just trying to give the best advice I can so that we can play at our best."

On the pre-derby atmosphere: "You do sense the adrenaline in the build-up to the derby but it doesn’t affect how we work. Emotionally it’s always different and, if I get the chance to play lots of them, it will always be different."

Looking to the future, Mazzarri added that, "You draw your conclusions at the end. We have three games left and they’re all important." Conclusions about the team, about himself and about the players individually, he explained when asked about expiring contracts. "With the management we’ve decided to wait until the end of the season before assessing things. Once we’ve played the last game we’ll look at everything."

The coach was also asked whether Mauro Icardi deserves his ‘bad boy’ tag. "I find it stimulating to work with lads who aren’t just ordinary, I enjoy chatting to them. Since he’s been training again regularly he’s been very professional every time he comes through the gates of the training ground."

Mazzarri also commented on Massimo Moratti and Handy Soetedjo’s visit to Appiano Gentile yesterday: "It’s a good thing when you have everyone pulling in the same direction at a club. I think their visit did us good. The team sees the club is united and behind us."

APPIANO GENTILE – After his press conference this afternoon, Walter Mazzarri stopped to chat to Inter Channel and answer some questions sent in by the fans.

He said: "Nagatomo is an important player and it’s good that we have international matches like this which the whole world can watch. It’s good for football.

The Tuscan-born coach was also asked about the other derbies he’s been involved in during his career: "In Reggio there was the derby with Messina, that was very heated. There wasn’t one at Livorno because Pisa were in a different division. At Napoli games against the big teams of the north were always very important. I think it felt most important against Juventus, then Inter and Milan but in a different way."

On the Coppa Italia final being played tonight: "I spent four years at Napoli and I know how much it means to the fans to win something. I experienced it myself when we won the cup for the first time in 21 years, beating the champions Juventus in Rome. That was amazing: I saw how much joy it gave the city and how much joy they shared with us, celebrating until dawn. If I’m honest I’d like for my ex-fans to be able to celebrate something like that again."

APPIANO GENTILE – Just a few
hours away from his first derby with the Nerazzurri, Hernanes described his
feelings in an exclusive interview with Sky Perfect Japan: "I have great
expectations for this game. I want to do really well because I know that a
player can really win over the fans in games like these. I want to help the
team win. It will be very important because, beyond the fact that it’s the
derby, it can be key in us moving forward with our objectives."

After discussing his
relationship with Nerazzurri fans ("They accepted me warmly the start, I immediately felt appreciated and it’s nice"), the
midfielder described the one he has with coach Mazzarri: "It couldn’t be
going any better. I needed to find a coach like him and I’m very happy to be
working with him. What does he ask of me? To be a leader and help the team."

How far can this Inter side
go, and what about his own personal objective? "Mine is to be an important
player for the club. I didn’t come here to be an average player; I want to make
a difference. I’ll manage that if we earn important results. Our goal is
certainly to make it to Europe. We can do it. It just depends on us. Inter won
the first derby this season and we hope to do it again. Maybe with one of my
goals? I hope so…[smiling]. At any rate, what matters that we win."

Hernanes also covered
Juventus and Roma in his discussion ("The Giallorossi started off at light
speed, and the amazing thing is that as soon as they had two draws Juventus had
already built a big gap ahead of them") before ending the interview on the
subject of Nagatomo: "He was one of the first team-mates who looked to get
me involved in things here, and we always joke around together. It’s incredible
how he never stops running. I joke with him and tell him that he works harder
every day and that he should relax every now and then. He has an incredible
sense of professionalism."