Stramaccioni wants to stay at Inter

Inter Milan coach Andrea Stramaccioni has spoken of his desire to stay at the club ahead of Sunday’s Serie A derby against AC Milan.

The 36-year-old was promoted at the end of March after Claudio Ranieri was dismissed and the rookie has made a decent start as boss of the San Siro outfit.

However, it had been previously reported that the club would look for someone else if he failed to secure a Champions League place and with Inter now trailing Udinese, Napoli and Lazio in the race for third spot, qualification for Europe’s elite competition is looking unlikely.

“There will be time to discuss the Europa League, but we are playing two crucial games first and want to get six points, then we’ll see where Inter are,” Stramaccioni told reporters at his pre-match press conference.

“How much do I want to stay from 0-10? 11. I am giving all of myself for this experience and the real dream was being picked. I feel that I am the Inter coach and I want to stay here.”

The former Inter Primavera man then turned his attentions to this weekend’s derby and while recognising the importance of the game for Scudetto-chasing AC Milan, he also stated what the game means for his own team.

“I hear it said that the pressure is on Milan to win for the Scudetto, but we need to win as well and want to get the victory on Sunday night. It is both to reach our objectives and because it’s simply a derby, so until the last second of injury time both sides will give their all to win it,” Stramaccioni said.

“I know we are facing a team that is in front of us in the table and we want to prove there aren’t 22 points separating these squads. I hope Milan have all their stars at their disposal and it’ll be a derby at the highest level.”

Moving back on to his future, Stramaccioni is adamant that the game will not be decisive in terms of deciding whether he will stay at Inter, but admits it will play a role in helping the board make their decision.

“The city lives the derby atmosphere, also considering the importance of what is at stake. Is it decisive for my future? That is not a question for me. I think my work will be judged overall and this game will help people form a judgement on me. You’ll see what we want to prove tomorrow,” he said.

“Preparing for the derby means understanding what condition the players are in, both psychologically and physically. I will choose 11 players to start who are at 101 per cent. Everyone wants to play the derby and it is my job to pick the 11 in the best shape.”

Inter are sixth in Serie A with 55 points, three points behind third-placed Napoli with two games left this term.