Former Inter midfielder Antonio Sabato has bemoaned Inter’s drop in intensity during the 2-0 defeat away at Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night, according to a report in the Italian media.
Speaking to Tuttomercatoweb.com, Antonio Sabato explained that until just after the half hour mark Inter were actually the better team in the match. The issue was Real Madrid’s individual quality and then the red card for Nicolo Barella.
“On Tuesday evening until the 35th minute, Inter played better than Real, but these teams have players that can change a game in a moment.
“They played well in Madrid as if they were at home. They had to recover and then Nicolò Barella also got sent off. I saw a competitive team that can make decent progress now.”
When asked whether Simone Inzaghi has already done a better job than his predecessor Antonio Conte, he admitted that Antonio Conte did perform poorly in European competition with Inter.
“In the European field Conte’s statistics are lacking, it’s true. Inzaghi has the merit of having brought the team forward after years and is fighting for the Scudetto. What more can we ask him?”
This season is the first time in a decade that Inter has made it to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League and it has come at a vital time given the financial constraints that the club’s owners are currently in.
It is very lucrative to be beyond the group stage of this tournament.