Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 9y

Mateo Kovacic: 'Charismatic' Roberto Mancini a great choice by Inter Milan

Mateo Kovacic says Inter Milan no longer have any excuses now that they have "charismatic" coach Roberto Mancini in charge.

The Nerazzurri face city rivals AC Milan on Sunday night in their first game since Walter Mazzarri was replaced by Mancini.

That change has revitalised the club, according to Kovacic, who expects to benefit in a great way from the new man at the helm.

"We need to get results because now we've got a strong, charismatic coach and we are worth more than our position in the table, and I'm desperate to qualify for the Champions League, just like the fans are," Kovacic told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The enthusiasm among the fans fell this season with Mazzarri's popularity dropping to an all-time low after a 2-2 draw with Hellas Verona a fortnight ago.

The atmosphere within the dressing room had seen better days too, according to Kovacic -- but the Croatian says the former Manchester City coach is already turning things around.

"[Mancini's] made an immediate impression," said the 20-year-old. "You can see just by the way he talks that he's coached at the highest level. He's got charisma and all of my teammates were really enthusiastic after the first few training sessions with him.

"To be coached by a former No. 10 of his level could be really important to me. We've not had time to talk much, even if he has already told me the secrets of my role, like where to stand, how to attack the spaces and free myself from my marker."

Mancini is one who knows, having written a thesis on the role of the classic No. 10 to gain his coaching badge.

"He's explaining to me how I need to change my body position so as not to have my back to goal," he said. "I've only had a few training sessions [with Mancini], but I've realised that I've got a lot to learn from him."

The result should be more goals from a player who has often been criticised for not scoring enough, although he says he would "not trade one goal in the derby for three months without scoring."

Kovacic added: "We need to win this game no matter who scores. We need to win to get some continuity going, and I'm convinced we deserve to be in a better position than we are in, and my teammates think that too.

"This game's decisive in terms of us re-launching our season, changing gear and boosting self-confidence. It's still only worth three points, though, and if we don't win three in a row, then we're wasting time talking about this one game.

"We've got to take the initiative. We're Inter and we should be taking the game to them. We're going to win and [Samir] Handanovic is not going to concede. It will be 2-0."

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