GENOA
– "The half-time break calmed the game down a lot. When a game is as crazy as
this one was in the first half, anything can happen. Even that a side down to
10 men can dominate against a side playing with 11. The break took the wind out
of their sails and then we started to take control as our ability came to the
fore. We did, however, start the game well, just as we did in our previous home
match, although things didn’t end well then. We created chances to score, but weren’t
playing the way we like to play, which we did actually manage to do in the
second half." That’s what Esteban Cambiasso told Inter Channel following today’s
win over Sampdoria.

"With
Kovacic and Hernanes in the side I have to bring a bit of stability to the
team, so I don’t push forward as much," he added. "Throughout my career I’ve
always adapted my way of playing to those of my team-mates. I’m not the sort of
player who wants to impose his playing style to the detriment of others. I’ve
always done the opposite: Mateo and Hernanes are good ball players so I focus
on bringing balance to the side. Now we have to carry on like this. Luckily we
played well today, but we can’t rest on our laurels. This was just one game and
all of us out there had some difficulty focusing. Winning in this way means we
can get on with our work with less fuss next week. The fans? They never stopped
getting behind us and that’s important for the players. At the moment having their
support is fundamental."

GENOA – "The important thing for me was winning. However, it wasn’t
a positive day since the game could have turned out differently, honestly
speaking. We need to start thinking now about Parma and Europe," stated
Samir Handanovic to journalists at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris after Sampdoria v
Inter.

"Europe is neither nearer nor further away. There are three or four
teams fighting for those spots. The fans came yesterday to charge us up. It was
a relaxed encounter.

"Icardi? Some players want to feel the pressure on them. We’ve seen
loads of gestures like that. But these things concern him. I’m not going to get
into it.

"A historic day for me? I don’t have anything to say in particular.
I’ll be happy when we’re competing for something more important." 

GENOA – At the end of Sampdoria v Inter, Walter Mazzarri answered
questions from reporters at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

Here are his words:

"I look at the performance. Today we won, playing worse than normal
in the first half. Sampdoria deserved more, even though they left us a lot of
space behind them and countered quickly. I didn’t like the first half for the
way I view the game. Then after half-time we sorted things out. If you score a
goal at the right time, instead of missing one, the result can turn out differently
than the performance put in.

"Do
we always need a wake-up call at half-time? I don’t know. Perhaps. We need to
be more consistent. I blamed myself for not shouting at the players more in Livorno,
but our approach to games has to be different.

"Kovacic?
If I started him it’s because I’ve seen an improvement in him. He helped the
side out a lot, worked hard for the team. And he showed the touches of skill
all good players have. He’s young – he can only get better and have a big
impact.

"My
team selection depends on a lot of things: I had come to other decisions about Ranocchia,
but I never cast him aside. He’s done very well recently. I tried to make him
feel under slightly more pressure. Their penalty was a soft one and perhaps he
should have avoided making the tackle when he did, and he too realised that
immediately. He’s having a good season and he’s in good form at the moment.

"We
start a lot of our moves from defence, but with Campagnaro missing on the right
we still needed to get a man forward. Ranocchia has always played as a central
defender but I thought this would be the perfect game to have Samuel playing on
the left side of central defence, to stop them attacking on that side of the
pitch.

"D’Ambrosio? He did a lot of good things, but
I’m still not completely satisfied. However, it is true that today he did play
well.

"Icardi? He should have avoided making that
gesture, but, other than that, he did exactly what he had to do. In fact,
considering the sort of things he was up against he showed tremendous strength
of character. If he carries on this way and we manage to get rid of some of the
unnecessary things in his game, then he really will develop into a fantastic
player. He has all the characteristics of an out-and-out forward – he just
needs to concentrate on playing football. I’ve told him to just concentrate on
playing football. You have to leave personal matters behind you when you walk
onto the pitch. They are professional sports people and everything they do is
scrutinized. They have a certain responsibility to everyone. 

More to follow 

GENOA
– "Is the uphill climb regarding our fixtures something better for Inter? I
don’t know if it’s better, but we’ve given away too many points. We know it
still depends on us. We have to move forward and try to win all the games, even
if there are some tough ones remaining." Statements to Sky Sport Italia
from Nerazzurri defender Walter Samuel ahead of Sampdoria v Inter.

"It
all depends on us. We’ve let a lot of teams move closer to us, and that’s not a
good thing. We have to roll up our sleeves to get some wins and try to qualify
for Europe.

"My
future? I’m here to play today. I’m focused on a difficult game and not
interested in discussing it. Will I play today? Yes."