Stramaccioni eyes return of 'great' Inter
Inter Milan coach Andrea Stramaccioni is hoping he will be able to leave a lasting impression on the club in his first full season at the helm.
Stramaccioni had previously been head coach of Internazionale Primavera and it was under his stewardship that the team won the inaugural tournament of the NextGen series.
The 36-year-old manager was then brought into the head coaching role at Inter in March 2012. A move made to steady the ship following the dismissal of Claudio Ranieri.
Under Stramaccioni, the San Siro outfit fell just short of qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League but secured sixth in Serie A and a place in the Europa League.
However, there is a real confidence around the Nerazzurri that given a full season in charge and some new signings, Stramaccioni could be the man to take Inter back swiftly to the top of Italian and European football.
"For me, it is a great honour and I am glad," Stramaccioni said on Friday in Jakarta.
"I say thank you to my President Massimo Moratti, who chose me. I hope to reach his expectations and I hope to do the best for Inter.
"Expectations are to be a great Inter and to form a new team with the average age lowered and to play for the Italian league and Europa League if possible. We will try."
Stramaccioni's focus on youth appears to be the long term goal; in the short term the club are closing in on a deal for 30-year-old Genoa striker Rodrigo Palacio. The transfer isn't completed yet but Genoa have already confirmed an agreement has been reached and it is understood he will cost Inter between 10-15million euros.
"When we went to Indonesia, Palacio was a Genoa player but now I don't know if the transfer is completed," Stramaccioni said.
"Palacio is a great player and I like him but I don't know if he is an Inter player yet."
Stramaccioni also added that Inter's "normal place" was to be in the Champions League and he hoped that top quality players would not be discouraged by Inter's absence from Europe's premier club competition next season.
The hope is that it will just be a one year absence.
The Nerazzurri will take on the Indonesia national team on Saturday at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.