Stramaccioni: “Inter must deal with injury crisis”

Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni is ready to take on Tottenham in the Europa League, but is aware his options will be limited as the club deal with an injury crisis.

Diego Milito, Walter Samuel, Joel Obi, Matias Silvestre, Yuto Nagatomo, Gaby Mudingayi will most likely be joined by Fredy Guarin and Andrea Ranocchia on the sidelines due to injury.

Add in players that are cup-tied or were not included on the UEFA list, and Stramaccioni knows his choices are limited.

“We can’t risk players that aren’t in perfect shape. At this time, we are in an emergency in terms of availability. We have six Primavera players with us today,” he stated at the pre-match press conference.

“We started this season with an important rejuvenation project, after a period where everything that could have been won was won. Now President Moratti is interested in starting another great cycle. This year we have a mix of important players and youngsters that will be the future of Inter.”

“Thus considering the problems we have had, the project is moving along nicely and tomorrow’s match is an important one. Cassano? Antonio is here in London, he was called up and trained. I am sure that tomorrow he will contribute during the game or from the start.”

“Not only do I think Tottenham are a strong squad physically, but they also have a lot of quality that play great football. Even if they had a great base, you can see the great work Andre Villas-Boas has done.”

“He deserves credit for the growth of this group. Bale is becoming one of the most complete players in Europe because he is showing that he has great qualities and that he can always make a difference. That is the difference between a great player from a champion.”

“Since we have lost Milito, aside from the Fiorentina match, we have grown while playing with one striker and looking to impose our play. Tomorrow will be different than against Catania, because we will have different players because of the UEFA list.”

“I am hoping to recover those that aren’t well. Samuel returned to the group, while Nagatomo and Silvestre are also out. And Stankovic showed at Catania just how important it is to recover players.”

“Guarin and Ranocchia? More than two players aren’t in perfect conditions. We will evaluate Guarin and Ranocchia in the morning, then I will see. But we can’t risk losing players, only those that are fit will take the field.”

Follow Adriano Boin on Twitter: @Boin44