Aspire in the World Fellows Book - 2023

/84 9TH ASPIRE ACADEMY GLOBAL SUMMIT Howdo you decide the captain of your team? Is it related to appearances on the pitch or is it the one that gives more on the field? The position as captain is similar to leadership as a coach. It needs to be given and recognized by the group. For example, Lautaro became the captain of Inter because he deserved it. The first two seasons, I had Handanovic, who was an amazing captain because he was crucial in the most important moments of the season. This season I have decided on Lautaro as captain and Barella as the second one. In case these two are missing, we follow based on the number of appearances in the club. When there is a game, it seems you are playing inside the field. Howmuch energy do you lose? Are you afraid that if the team sees you calmdown, it slows down? No, I like following the team in this way. I don’t know if it’s the best way to do it. There are very good coaches who are more calm. For me, it has always been the same since I started. I am close to 400 official games as a coach. Mister Lopetegui before mentioned when the coach and the players are friends, it’s difficult. It is not easy, but you can have some different levels of relationship. Imagine in the first season when I started, I had Radu and Mauri, who were my teammates the previous season. I clearly had a more direct relationship with them, and it is not important if they are informal with me; the most important thing is to have a relationship of trust. I did the same with Roberto Mancini, who was my teammate before, and then he became my coach. These things happen in football, but you always need to respect the roles. When the coach and a player fight each other, who’s going to take the first step? Is there amediator? Is it the captain if he’s not the one you’re fighting with? There is always someone who has to act as a mediator; it can be the captain, if you have a fight with the captain, it can be the sporting director. Fights are normal, but the important thing is that within 24 hours, they are solved, as it has always been in my case. We’ve spoken a lot about regrets aswe talked about Lazio in the COVID period. Canwe say that your tactical masterpiecewas in a lost game, the Champions League final? Yes, but not only that, if I think about the Champions League journey. I thinkmore about the previous season when we won in Anfield against Liverpool than the final in Istanbul. We played an amazing game in Anfield where Liverpool hadn’t lost for a long time, and maybe we could have won.