Football: Get ready for toil, Mazzarri tells Inter

New Inter Milan coach Walter Mazzarri has promised there will be no let up in training for his players as they bid to start next season strongly and finish it challenging for honours and European places.

After a strong start in the 2012-2013 campaign, injury-ravaged Inter slumped to a ninth place finish, prompting the dismissal of Andrea Stramaccioni.

Mazzarri, who made good on an early season pledge by quitting Napoli after they finished second behind Juventus, was appointed last week following 37-year-old Stramaccioni’s sacking.

At his official presentation on Thursday Mazzarri said the immediate priority was to get his squad used to the work ethic he established with his coaching team during his four-year spell with the Neapolitans.

“In modern-day football… you need to be extremely well prepared both physically and mentally and that’s why I insist on a work ethic. That’s sacred to me,” said Mazzarri.

“The first thing I’ll say to the players when I see them is that training is sacred: if you miss a training session there must be an extremely good reason for it, otherwise you need to be training and pulling out all the stops.

“If a player is skilful, he’ll show that he’s better than the others on the pitch.”

Mazzarri said in the summer months Inter would be put through their paces. “Two weeks of training with two sessions per day… we’ve fine-tuned it down the years and it’s brought us success so we’re not going to change it.

“We want to start the season in a certain way and then fitness-wise we’ll continue in a certain way.”

The coach also gave his backing to potential investment in the club, following reports that Inter president Massimo Moratti is considering selling a substantial stake to Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir.

“I’ll repeat what the president said: ‘If it’s going to be good for Inter as a club, then by all means’,” said Mazzarri.

“That’s what he said. All we’re interested in is that whatever happens is positive for the future of this club. I needn’t add anything else.”

Last week it was reported Moratti was prepared to sell a majority stake to Thohir, although the club president has since played the matter down.