Inter Per Sempre

APPIANO GENTILE - José Mourinho wants his team to go one better than last year's Coppa Italia run. "If you get to the semi-final it's normal to want to reach the final," he told journalists in the pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday's first leg against Fiorentina. "But it won't be easy against Fiorentina and the return leg is in April. I don't like it, but this is how it is. We don't know how we will be then, whether both teams are still in the Champions League or just one, whether there are injuries or tiredness and so on. We don't know how it will be for either team.

"It will be a bit strange to play the first leg now and the second two months later. It's like playing the first half of a match now, going home, and then coming back to play the second half two months later. But we obviously want to win tomorrow and we want a result that will give us a good chance of qualifying in April.

"All of my players are available. I will obviously take into consideration that we have played three matches in eight days, so I will rotate a few players. I will try to field a strong team that can get us a good result, but we know there are zones on the pitch where we can't rotate. My team? Lucio and Sneijder will play, and so will Milito. Toldo will play too, but that mistake last week wasn't Toldo's. It was Silvino's..."

Mourinho then welcomed MacDonald Mariga to Inter: "I'm satisfied with his arrival. He's an extra option in midfield. We have Krhin back in midfield too and we have regained this balance that we lost with the departure of Patrick and the injuries. Mariga trained with us for the first time today, we know he is back from an injury but he seems fit to play. He's not a finished product and I like him for this because he's young, he has to grow. He's for today, but also for the future. He has to work a lot to get to the top but I like him. He will help us restore balance. Simplicio and Ledesma? I hope they're happy."

February is a busy time for the Nerazzurri, with seven matches from now to the end of the month. "There are a lot of matches to play in all three competitions in this hard month of February," said the Inter boss. "There are weeks with three league matches, which means nine points. These are decisive weeks."

Inter are an improved team compared to last year, says Mourinho. "The team that loses one of the best players in the world is obviously a team that generates lots of question marks. This is what happened when we sold Ibrahimovic. But we know what we have done since. Everyone can see what us coaches and those at the club have done. And what the players have done. We haven't won anything yet, but the reality is that the team is playing better football now than last year, and it's not a coincidence."