Former Inter defender Riccardo Ferri believes that the current Nerazzurri showed that they are a quality side, but still have more improvements to be made, with their Champions League tie against Liverpool.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster RAI Radio 24, Ferri suggested that their opponents across the two legs proved to be more the finished articles, whilst the Nerazzurri looked as though there is still work to be done.
The Nerazzurri went toe-to-toe with the Reds for long stretches of the two legs of their round of sixteen tie, and they showed that they have the quality to compete with one of Europe’s elite.
However, whereas the Reds have become used to this level of competition, having first reached a Champions League final under current coach Jurgen Klopp in 2018, the Nerazzurri are not quite there yet.
This Inter side reached the knockout rounds of the Champions League for the first time in a decade, and while they proved against Liverpool that they can play well at this level, Ferri believes that they also showed that they will have to raise their level further to keep going.
“The performances both in the first leg and in the second leg showed that Inter are a physical team with character,” he said. “Going toe-to-toe away to Liverpool with a two-goal deficit is quite a feat.”
He went on that “It also was a bit lucky for them that Liverpool hit the post twice. There remains the regret of having conceded those two goals in fifteen minutes during the first leg.”
“Lautaro Martinez came back eager to score,” Ferri went on, “he could have scored earlier. Inter’s squad is strong, but Liverpool have players on the bench who don’t cause their level to drop, you can hardly see the difference, they are a team who have reached the top whereas Inter are still a work in progress.”
