by Batman Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:13 pm
Adriano excluded from Europe?
Roberto Mancini warns Adriano could be excluded from Inter’s Champions League squad and is dropped again this weekend.
The Brazilian may be staying after he rejected loan moves to Parma, West Ham United, Lazio and Manchester City, but he’ll be in the stands for much of the campaign.
As the Nerazzurri have several players sitting out European bans for last year’s quarter-final brawl with Valencia, they are forced to double up several of their roles for the group phase of the competition.
Nicolas Burdisso is banned for eight games – two of which are on probation for a two-year period – while Douglas Maicon is suspended for three (plus another three on probation).
Ivan Cordoba sits out a two-match ban (and a third on probation), plus Julio Ricardo Cruz is sidelined for two games.
Originally Santiago Solari had been the number one candidate to step aside, but it is now reported that Adriano could be the man to make way.
“It is a possibility, but not just for him,” said Mancini in today’s Press Conference. “There are rules to be respected and we stand by them. We are taking all the time necessary to choose the option that will prove less difficult for everyone.
“Leaving out Adriano could give him some problems, because he would not be able to play in the Champions League, but it would allow him to train regularly during the week for Serie A.”
Yet L’Imperatore does not appear to be in Mancio’s plans for the Scudetto race either. He has been dropped from the Italian Super Cup and the Serie A opener with Udinese, while Adriano’s name does not appear in the squad for Saturday’s trip to Empoli either.
Even after Alvaro Recoba’s loan move to Torino, there still seems to be no space at all for Adriano in this Inter side.
“We don’t need to do anything in particular different from what we have done until now. We have always tried to get him back to his best, but we cannot do it alone.
“Adri has to give us a hand, as it also depends on him. A large percentage of what we will achieve will come from what he wants to do and how much hunger he has. Alone we cannot do anything, but with hard work and effort from both sides we can achieve something more.”
Mancini and President Massimo Moratti publicly urged him to accept a loan move to help rediscover his form, but Adriano turned down any temporary proposal.
“He really cares for Inter and wants to do well here. That, for a start, is a great motivational factor,” added the Coach.
“We have never said we wanted to send him out on loan, we were just trying to find the best solution for all concerned. That could well have been letting him play regularly and without pressure.”
Mancini has called up 20 players for Saturday’s Serie A visit to Empoli. Adriano has not been included, along with the suspended Julio Cesar.
Inter squad: 1 Francesco Toldo, 22 Paolo Orlandoni, 71 Enrico Alfonso; 2 Ivan Ramiro Cordoba, 6 Maxwell, 13 Maicon, 16 Nicolas Burdisso, 25 Walter Samuel, 26 Cristian Chivu; 4 Javier Zanetti, 5 Dejan Stankovic, 7 Luis Figo, 15 Olivier Dacourt, 19 Esteban Cambiasso, 21 Santiago Solari, 31 Cesar; 8 Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 9 Julio Ricardo Cruz, 18 Hernan Crespo, 29 David Suazo.
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Not sure why he put that. But anyway i cant see him signing anyone either, but if he does i think it will be Adriano. Nobody thought we would go for Tevez either 
