Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi anticipates a significant match for his team when they host Juventus at the San Siro tomorrow.
Speaking in a press conference as reported by FCInterNews, the Nerazzurri boss gave his thoughts on the upcoming clash as well as speaking about recent results against Lazio and Sheriff Tiraspol.
Inter head into tomorrow’s match in good form but with some inconsistencies to work out, coming off the back of a vital win against Sheriff Tiraspol in the Champions League but also seeking a reversal of their fortunes in Serie A after their first defeat of the season against Lazio last weekend.
Inzaghi believes that tomorrow’s encounter gives his team a chance to prove themselves at an early stage of the season and to take a big step forward in Serie A after some difficult moments amid their overall strong form.
“The season has just begun but it is a very important match,” he said. “Two very strong teams face each other and we play in front of our fans. The team is fully aware of what the game represents for the club and the fans and therefore we will need a great game.”
In response to Juventus coach Max Allegri’s assertion that Inter are the strongest team in Serie A Inzaghi stated, “I am pleased that Allegri considers this to be the case. Clearly I could say the same thing about Napoli, Milan, Roma, Lazio. The season will be exciting and we want to be protagonists.”
“Tomorrow is a very important match beyond the three points,” he went on. “After Rome we talked a lot with the team. We were saddened by the defeat and the episode that made it 2-1.”
“From there we decided that already from the match on Tuesday from now on we will also play with the opponent on the ground and only the referee will be able to stop the game,” he said. “Two and a half days later we did well to react. Tomorrow we have another great chance.”
On the notion that it would be tough to recover if his team lose tomorrow Inzaghi stated, “Certainly because Juventus is a historical rival and we know the value of the match. We will have to be good at making it ours, trying to express our football while also being balanced. Juventus has recovered and come off of very good results. We will have to be careful.”
He stated that he feels calm ahead of the match because of “How the team is on the pitch. We lost on Saturday and against Real Madrid but we had played very well. We deserved a different result.”
“We drew with then men in Genoa and missed a couple of very good chances,” he continued. “The progress is good, Saturday’s defeat has moved us down the table but the team is aware of the problems, it is normal that we need to improve and acts as a team in every moment of the match.”
Of the defeat of Sheriff in midweek the coach stated that “I said before that as far as the Champions League is concerned, we made it easy to play a match that came against the group leaders who had beaten Real and Shakhtar.”
“It was a great match,” he continued, “we knew it was like a final for us, the team lost its balance at certain moments where we made it too easy. We attacked with so many men, it’s something we worked on because tomorrow we know who we are going to face.”
On facing Juventus without Cristiano Ronaldo he stated that “He is a great player but Juve have many others that can hurt you. Dybala and Morata will return, I can think of many others. We must be focused on ourselves knowing what we’re capable of and that it will take intensity and determination because we know what this match represents.”
On winning significant matches such as tomorrow’s he said that “They are certainly very important, beyond the three points, for the boost they can give. Certainly tomorrow’s match can give an extra boost with a positive result.”
Regarding midfielder Arturo Vidal’s excellent match against Sheriff the coach stated that “He played the game I expected, as excellent as his teammates. I’m trying to recover everyone because I’m lucky enough to have a great squad available. Sensi and Calhanoglu trained very well yesterday.”
“The only one unavailable to date is Correa,” he continued, “who we will try to bring Wednesday to Empoli. He came back, Sunday in Rome he was not free in his movements.”
“Tuesday he was on the bench but probably I would not have let him in anyway. He is training the last few days apart but he is trying to prepare himself in the best way for Wednesday,” he explained.
On whether he would want clarification from the referees on the incident leading to Felipe Anderson’s goal for Lazio last weekend Inzaghi stated, “Regardless of whether someone clarifies or not, we have made this decision. There is a referee and it will be at his discretion.”
Responding to words aimed at Inter by Bianconeri defender Leonardo Bonucci he stated, “”I focused on Juventus matches, so my only concern more than reading statements was to see matches and videos. We will try to think about ourselves knowing that we have against an opponent of great quality.”
Lastly, the coach spoke about wing-back Ivan Perisic, stating that “He is a complete, flexible player. I asked him for a sacrifice as a striker in Rome, in my opinion he did his best there too. He is a resource that I keep very close because he has a lot of international experience and has won a lot, so I am very happy to keep him in the squad.”
