Roberto Mancini has expressed his delight at being named Inter Milan's new coach, and is determined to reverse the club's fortunes and challenge Juventus at the top of Serie A.
Mancini, 49, was appointed as Nerazzurri coach for the second time in his career following the sacking of Walter Mazzarri on Friday, with a poor start to the season leaving Inter 12 points adrift of the Bianconeri in seventh position.
The former Manchester City manager -- who won the 2011-12 Premier League title as well as three scudettos at the San Siro between 2004 and 2008 -- is focused on turning the team into title challengers, and says it is up to him and the players to engage the supporters.
"I'm really happy to see the fans so enthusiastic about my return," he told a news conference at the club's training ground on Saturday. "Everything happened so quickly. It's up to us to find that spark again, bring the fans back to the stadium and return to winning ways -- that's crucial. We'll have to do battle with Juventus and AC Milan.
"I believe in this club's plans. Inter is a great club and I'm delighted to have accepted. I'd like to thank president [Erick] Thohir for offering me this opportunity to come back to Inter."
Mancini revealed he accepted the job on Thursday with Inter seeking to replace Mazzarri following a 2-2 draw with Hellas Verona last Sunday, and the new Nerazzurri coach is aware that he will be judged by his results from the off.
"I got the call on Thursday. I'm happy, very happy," he said. "You don't have much time in football. We need to get straight down to work and start winning quickly. I'm glad to be back and to have the chance to work in Italy again. I really hope to be a success here."
Inter have picked up just four wins from 11 league games this term, and while Mancini has not ruled out bringing in new signings during the January transfer window, he is confident he has a talented squad to work with.
"I need to get a good feel for the team first. It's never easy to sign players in January. We need to make sure we start winning again," he said. "I'm not sure how we'll play, I'll speak to the players. There are some quality players here. I think we can work well with this team.
"[Mateo] Kovacic is a young lad with fantastic ability. He's got the makings of a star. [Fredy] Guarin did superbly at Porto and I think he can be a key player for us."
Mancini joked about Gary Medel's role in his side, saying: "Medel is an excellent midfielder. His position? I'll need to get to know him better. Not in goal... all the players can fit into the formations I use. That goes for an experienced player like [Yuto] Nagatomo too. We can all improve here. If we all show enthusiasm and pull in the same direction, we can be successful."
Nemanja Vidic has struggled for form since moving on a free transfer from Manchester United this summer, but Mancini believes it is just a matter of time before the Serbian gets used to the Italian top flight -- though the coach was coy about which defensive tactics he would employ.
"Three or four at the back? It's not a big problem for me," he added. "I want to hear what the players think about it. Vidic needs to be given time to get used to Italian football."