Stramaccioni unfazed by mounting Inter pressure

20 Feb 2013 21:30:00

The Nerazzurri coach has shrugged off growing criticism following his side's heavy defeat to Fiorentina

Inter boss Andrea Stramaccioni insists his preparations for two key matches this week will not be hindered by speculation over his future.

The Nerazzurri are in Romania to face Cluj on Thursday, looking to build on their 2-0 advantage from the first leg and progress to the last 16 of the Europa League.

They will then face arch-rivals AC Milan on Sunday, with the Rossoneri now a point and two places above Inter in the Serie A table following their recent revival.

"The good and bad thing about being coach of Inter has been that this pressure has been on me from the first day I took charge of this great team," Stramaccioni told reporters.

“If a coach at this level thinks about these things, then he is finished before he even begins. There is a lot of pressure, as we lost 4-1 on Sunday and it’s only normal to be criticised, but I think we will do well both tomorrow and in the derby."

The 37-year-old added that he was not contemplating the derby yet and was focused on his side's impending Europa League clash.

“I think Inter have to take it one game at a time," he continued.

"We played the first leg against Cluj with our best team and paid the price for that with our lack of energy against Fiorentina.

“Our objective is to progress to the next round. It won’t be easy and it certainly is not a foregone conclusion."

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