Inter CEO Beppe Marotta feels that head coach Simone Inzaghi is playing an important role in guiding the club into a period of good form.
Speaking to Italian news outlet Sky Sport Italia ahead of this evening’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid, he spoke highly of the job being done by the former Lazio boss given the good position the Nerazzurri are in.
Inter will have gone into the season with mixed expectations given both last season’s emphatic Scudetto win as well as the summer of upheaval which saw coach Antonio Conte as well as several key players depart.
Inzaghi had a big task for the season in replacing Conte and in fitting several new signings into the team in place of those lost, all while imposing his tactical ideas on the side.
So far, however, the 45-year-old has enjoyed a positive stint, with Inter well in the Scudetto race and already qualified for the knockout rounds of the Champions League with tonight’s match virtually a playoff for top of the group.
Asked whether he thought that top spot would have been a possibility given the club’s challenging summer, Marotta stated “I honestly didn’t think so, many fans as well as pundits probably also felt the same way.”
“But this is the beauty of football,” he reflected, “dreams can come true. We qualified with one match to spare, today we play with great motivation but also calmness for first place in the group.”
Of Inzaghi, he stated that “The most important thing is that he represents a real point of reference for Inter: we are very happy with him and feel proud, and he is proud of representing this club.”
And on the possibility of going even further in the Champions League he stated that “The conditions are all in place. The Champions League is a knockout tournament and not a league, sometimes you can be helped out by good fortune.”
“The team has acquired a winning mentality and experience in this tournament,” he added. “today they are more self-confident.”
“The precedent set by the previous coaches was important for Inzaghi who has a squad of top players who can boast being Italian champions,” he added. “The hope is to keep moving up to where Inter rightfully belong.”
Marotta stated that “The players go out on the pitch wanting to give their best, knowing that they wear a signigicant shirt, they want to give us and the fans the emotions of great European nights.”
“They don’t need a particular position,” he added. “Inzaghi is a great motivator and knows how to organize the team, the conditions are there to do well.”