Inzaghi: "We have to make a huge match, I have confidence in my boys."

A few hours before Manchester City-Inter Milan, the Nerazzurri’s first match in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, Simone Inzaghi spoke at a press conference to present the game that will be played on Wednesday 18 June at 21:00 CEST (20:00 local time) in the English city.

You have a great game to play: what do you ask the team?

"We know what kind of opponent is Manchester City. A strong, organized team. At home, he hasn’t lost in the Champions League for six years, since 2018. 

We know what we have to do, we have to make a huge match. We will need race, aggression, determination: components for a great race".

Is there anything that needs to be corrected immediately to keep the level very high?

"Speaking of the Monza match, I must say that we were certainly under-paced, with Atalanta we had played differently.

I had a lot of players around Europe and the world, we did less well in the last release, but now we know that we need to have another intensity. 

In Europe the level is rising, we know that, but I am happy with the work of the boys".

Have you ever watched the Istanbul Final?

"I saw it again a week after playing it, then I saw it again a month ago during the retreat. 

This is not a rematch. I have no regrets for that final: I know the team gave everything, the finals are decided by the episodes. 

They were good in the episodes, said Guardiola. This Champions League is more difficult, before you prepared the group with three opponents, now it’s 8 different games to prepare".

How is Lautaro Martinez?

"Lautaro is our captain, this year he will score many goals. He arrived almost a month after the teammates, he showed up for his retreat early to work with us. 

He played a lot with his national team. The best form will come with matches and training".

 

Inter Milan  rarely gets to dictate the pace of the opposing team: what changes in a challenge like this one that awaits you?

"We will have to be good in both phases, in possession and not in possession. They will need lucidity and cleanliness in the plays. 

We will have to face them, if we leave too much possession then it becomes complicated".
 

The calendar is very busy, what do you think?

"We know, I can say that preparing these games for a coach is beautiful and exciting. We started the preparation on July 13, we will finish in July 2025 with the World Championship for Clubs. 

I know there are many commitments, I always talk about it with the players and with the company. Today we do not have Dimarco and Arnautovic, we have some solutions less but we are used to having sometimes limited rotations".
 

How does turnover work?

"We think game by game. The data helps us, with the staff we monitor all the players, their rest and the need for recovery. Let’s get organized, we think of the City, then in 4 days we will prepare the Derby".

How many points do you need to pass the Champions League round?

"We have seen the simulations, but we do not think about it. It is a novelty for everyone, it is more expensive, but it will be very spectacular and interesting".
 

Last year’s Inter Milan in the Champions League sometimes used to play a few more second-row games, now they play the typical team, is that right?

"Tomorrow’s training will be to think and evaluate: I have doubts that I will take me until tomorrow. 

The assessments to do are many, the City is the strongest team to be able to face. I am serene and calm because these guys always satisfy me. 

Tomorrow we will work a lot on the video, but it will take, I repeat, a huge game with all our forces".

Do you feel at the level of the City?

"We always go to win: then we know that there are different budgets, situations. 

I will be happy to see Pep Guardiola again, I met him in New York on holiday, we met for the FIFA prize in London and it is always a pleasure to talk about football with him: he is the best around, he is an inspiration for all coaches".

Source: inter.it