“I am not yet at 100 per cent. I’ve started pre-season well, but I can and must do much more,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“It was disappointing to miss the Confederations Cup with a calf injury, but in hindsight those extra days of rest really did me the world of good.”
This season, Joao Mario has been handed the iconic Number 10 jersey at Inter.
“There is extra responsibility in wearing the 10, as it’s a special shirt, especially at this club. After that, clearly a number doesn’t dictate what I do on the pitch or my role.
“Although I have notions of being a rugged midfielder, the truth is I attack better than I defend. The most important thing is that the team keeps possession of the ball, as last year we struggled to do that and it made everything more difficult.
“It was the kind of season that I don’t think can be repeated. When you start that badly, it’s really tough to turn things around.”
Roberto Mancini quit two weeks before the Serie A season began, Frank de Boer was fired at the end of October and Stefano Pioli followed in April, finishing the campaign with caretaker Stefano Vecchi.
“Pioli is a good Coach, but even with 10 wins in a row we were unable to close the gap on the front three. When we saw the Champions League places were too far away, that really affected us and we lost confidence.”
Spalletti made no secret of the fact he wanted Nainggolan to follow him from Roma to Inter, but Joao Mario has a plan.
“Nainggolan and Marek Hamsik are two real reference points for me, as they help the team, create and score goals. I need to improve in front of goal and I should’ve scored yesterday against Chelsea too.
“I hope that with Spalletti I can make that step up in quality to reach their level. Considering how well he helped other midfielders to develop, I have faith.
“Of course, they’ve been playing in Serie A for many years and this is only my second. Serie A is a very difficult and tactical league.
“We are all following Spalletti because we realise this is the right path. A club like Inter needs such a complete Coach who can work on psychology as well as tactics. We must learn from our mistakes, get back into the Champions League and then improve the quality of the squad.
“Our objective is clear, a top four position, but I hope that along the way we can aim even higher. There’s no point thinking about the Scudetto, though, as Juventus are the favourites with Napoli and Roma behind. Then there’s Milan, who changed a great deal, but I think under Juve it’ll be a four-way battle for the remaining three Champions League spots.
“We do miss the Champions League, as it’s unthinkable that a side like Inter isn’t even participating.”
