Pio Esposito is preparing for his second season with the Nerazzurri with the awareness of someone who has already tasted his first successes. Interviewed by Sportmediaset, the striker addressed several topics related to his growth and the team.

The first year brought with it the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia, a haul that leaves no room for doubt: “When you play for Inter you play to win, so there’s no point in hiding. Those were the objectives and we managed to achieve them. I’m very happy that the first season ended with two trophies and now we’re thinking about the next ones.”

No gifts after the triumphs: immediately called up to the National Team for friendlies, Esposito took a break later than his teammates, limiting himself to celebrations with the team. Now begins the year of confirmation: “I feel good, we’re doing our preparation and we still have a month to work. The main goal is to maintain balance, continue the growth path I’m on, always improve my performances and grow consistently.”

No set numerical targets, out of superstition: “I’ve never set myself a goal tally before the start of a season.” On the comparisons made by Barella, Di Marco and Kolarov, who likened him to champions such as Milito and Kane, his answer is clear: “We joke a lot in training and that video was taken from a lighthearted moment. I absolutely don’t want to bring up Diego Milito or other great champions. I’m Pio and I just want to work every day to grow and help the team achieve its goals.”

The return of Lautaro Martínez after the final is awaited with enthusiasm: “We haven’t spoken yet since the final. We’re waiting for him here with open arms.” On the derby, always a hot topic, Esposito remains clear-headed: “Scoring in the derby would be a great thing, but I think we need to focus above all on winning as many league games as possible to win the Scudetto. Obviously the derby has a different flavor and huge importance for the city’s history, so we’ll give our all to win it. But even without winning the derby, we won the Scudetto and I’d say that’s just fine.”

He closed by talking about the Italian core of the group and the role of Alessandro Bastoni: “Bastoni is definitely one of the leaders of this team and is a very important figure for the group. For me, who arrived last year, he’s a role model. The whole Italian core you mentioned is a driving force of the team: they are leaders who make the difference and this has been seen in recent years at Inter.”

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