Mancini wants added bite

FC Internazionale Milano coach Roberto Mancini says his side will have more of a cutting edge in this season's UEFA Champions League.

'More powerful'
Interviewed in issue 19 of Champions, the official magazine of the UEFA Champions League, Mancini insists the arrival of midfield anchor Patrick Vieira from Juventus will make his team "a little less technical and a bit tougher, less imaginative but more powerful".

Mass signings
Vieira joined the Nerazzurri in the summer along with Hernán Crespo, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Maicon, Maxwell, Olivier Dacourt and FIFA World Cup hero Fabio Grosso, with Inter eager to prove their worth in Europe and in Serie A after an unconventional title triumph last term.

Dubious award
Supporters were furious as Inter bowed out of the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League against Villarreal CF and a certain degree of cynicism greeted the award of the Italian title to Inter after champions Juventus were relegated and a number of clubs docked points for their part in a match-fixing scandal.

Mancini responds
Mancini bristles at suggestions that the Scudetto award was strange, saying: "It isn't strange. The other sides stole it. Usually in sport you don't steal things. In sport you have to behave yourself and play by the rules. We won all our points fair and square. The others didn't."

Steel and style
Success, unconventional though it was, has placed an additional burden on Inter to perform this season and while they have never lacked verve under Mancini - as epitomised by Brazilian striker Adriano - they have yet to prove they have the steel to match their style.

Point to prove
"Inter are always expected to win the Scudetto," said Mancini. "The pressure is always there. I'm not happy Juve won't be there [in Serie A]. Juve are part of football history. But it's very important we win it because it would be confirmation of the good work we've done over the past few years."

Capello rumours
As he awaits his side's opening UEFA Champions League trip to Sporting Clube de Portugal, the 41-year-old is aware he may need the title to justify his own position following persistent rumours linking Fabio Capello with a move to Inter.

Mixed messages
Despite having said, "like everyone, I believe Capello is the best manager around", Inter owner Massimo Moratti has given his coach some kind of public support, saying: "I remain convinced we have a valuable rose. It would be a mistake to make excessive changes."

Confident statement
However, if the pressure is on the tight-lipped Mancini to achieve or face dismissal, it is certainly not showing. "Do I feel a little uncertain about the future?" he said before lifting the Coppa Italia in May. "No, because finding a trainer better than me would be very difficult."

This is an edited version of an article from issue 19 of Champions, the official magazine of the UEFA Champions League. Click here to subscribe.