APPIANO GENTILE – On the day he turns 37, Dejan Stankovic has revealed the emotions running through his head as his first Milan Derby in the role of Club Manager fast approaches. 

"This Milan Derby is going to be very different to the ones I’ve experienced before. As a player, when derby week came around, you immediately felt something was different. Without realising it, everything was put on high alert. This doesn’t mean the other matches mean less, it’s just the feeling of this game is unique. Even now as a member of the management team, I can feel the pressure and the tension after going through the transfer window and all these months of preparation. 

"We’ve watched every single training session, so we’re excited to see the progress the guys have made. A bit of nerves and tension at the moment are a positive thing. The guys upstairs have done some fantastic work in the transfer market and I’m sure the coach will call on all his ability and experience to put the team in the right frame of mind and select the best line-up. We definitely shouldn’t judge Inter after this game alone, but I cannot wait to experience it. That’s my overriding emotion at the moment."

You’ve experienced so much joy in the derbies you played in, like the one under Roberto Mancini in 2006. What are your best memories from this rivalry?

"I went through joy and despair in my first-ever derby. I scored directly from a corner, but then we lost the game in additional time. I played in games where we’ve totally dominated AC Milan, like the 4-0 victory in August 2009 that will stay in everybody’s minds. We were magical right from the very first minute that day. My celebration in 2006 actually came from training the day before. We were practising free-kicks and Mancini was making fun of me because I couldn’t put the ball where I wanted. As it happened, I did everything in that match: I got an assist for the first goal, then I scored a stunner for the second and I chipped in with another assist for the third. Celebrating like that was a way of saying: ‘Here I am, Mancini! Did you see that?’"

More to follow

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