Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Roberto Mancini: No regrets over Inter Milan season

Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini and president Erick Thohir have both said they are happy with their side's season, and will still be happy if they do not qualify for the Champions League next season.

Inter's 2-0 win over Napoli on Saturday, combined with Roma's 3-3 draw at Atalanta, has seen the Nerazzurri narrow the gap on third place to four points with five games of the season remaining therefore increasing the chances of them snatching Serie A's third qualification berth for the Champions League.

That was the objective set at the start of the season, but even if they fail to close that gap in the next month, Inter will still look back on a successful season.

"I don't have any regrets and now we need to wait to see where we are at the end of the season," Mancini told RAI television. "If we don't finish third, I still think it can be a successful season.

"Inter are heading in the right direction and we're improving. I don't know if it was our best game of the season [against Napoli], but it was a great game against a side who are playing a fantastic season. I think beating Napoli was a really big thing for us.

"Certainly beating Napoli will give us a big boost. We've got a difficult game against Genoa on Wednesday and let's see if we're able to continue and confirm what we did against Napoli."

Thohir hopes to see more of the same in Inter's final five games too, with all still to play for. "[Roma] losing two points and us getting closer is good to get that pressure, to put pressure on other clubs -- there are still five matches and it's important that we remain focused and we show that Inter are a capable of playing a good game," he told the club's official website.

"The last five matches are important. We still want to go to our target.

"Other clubs are moving forward, and we are also moving forward. The most important thing is we grow and build, and make Inter stronger, stronger, stronger, in every way."

That is something the Indonesian says he is totally committed to, despite reports in recent weeks claiming he is looking to sell his majority stake in the Italian club.

"We are heading in the right direction," he said. "We have a good team, we have a good coach. We've been building a strong management and we're building. The result is there and we can see. If we compare how many points we have today compared to the last three months. I want to ensure that Inter become a great team again. It's a process and that's why we said three to five years was the plan.

"There is no plan to sell the majority shares. That's not me. I've been in DC United with ups and downs for five years, and I'm still there. I don't know why these news stories are coming out. I think the media need to tell the truth. I'm staying here. We will be majority owners. If we can bring a new strategic partner to make Inter stronger, then why not?"

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