Gasperini: "Super Cup in China, advert for football"

BEIJING – "I don't have a crystal ball but we're here to try and win this so that Inter can take home the trophy they missed out on two years ago. And playing against AC Milan makes the event even more prestigious." That was Gian Piero Gasperini's answer to Chinese journalists in his first press conference in Beijing, when asked if Inter would win the Italian Super Cup in 2011, unlike what happened two years ago against Lazio.
The coach was then asked about Javier Zanetti: "He was playing in the Copa America a fortnight ago so he'll be fine." What's the difference between Genoa and Inter? "The importance of the team," replied Gasperini, who went to to speak about this being "a huge step forward in my career".
"Football is played rain or shine, with humidity, in hot or cold weather... whatever the conditions. That's precisely why we came here early so that we can get used to the heat and humidity here. And in any case it will be the same for both teams..." smiled the coach when asked how the team would cope with the "terrible" climate in Beijing, as the locals themselves call it.
Gasperini was also quizzed on the "Sneijder problem", as the Chinese journalists put it, speaking about the uncertainty regarding the Dutchman's future. "He's playing for us, training with us and he'll play on Saturday. There is no Sneijder problem." The topic moved onto the importance of this year's Italian Super Cup in China: "It's an advert for Italian football and also for football in China."
Finally, Gasperini commented on the date of the fixture, which meant he gave some of the players a late holiday after their exertions in the Copa America: "The date forced us to bring things forward a bit, begin our preparations earlier and make certain sacrifices so that we could respect all our commitments while remaining at a very high level. We will be competitive and we'll be able to give a good account of ourselves even if we are missing a few players."