Inter Coach Simone Inzaghi: “We Played The Game Very Intelligently”

Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi is pleased to have seen his team beat Juventus 1-0 at the Allianz Stadium, and feels that they showed their character to get the result in a difficult away stadium.

Speaking in a press conference after the match, as reported by FCInterNews, the coach emphasized that the team had approached the game the right way in his view to get the better of a very strong Bianconeri side.

Inter had to face a Juventus team who pressed them high to try and force mistakes and get into dangerous positions from the beginning, and the first half was played at a frantic tempo.

Both teams had some sloppy moments which resulted in quick counterattacks, but it was the home side who created the more telling opportunities on balance.

However, the Nerazzurri held out and preserved their first-half clean sheet before taking the lead from a penalty by Hakan Calhanoglu as the first half came to a chaotic conclusion.

In the second half, the Bianconeri pushed even harder as they searched for an equalizer, but unlike in the reverse fixture, the Nerazzurri were able to keep their shape and get in the way of everything until the final whistle.

“The team played a very intelligent game,” Inzaghi said in reaction to the match. “We played well. In the first half they hit the crossbar after what was certainly a foul on Handanovic, in the second there was that burst forward by Zakaria, let’s not forget that we were playing against a very strong team.”

He went on that “In the second half we had two or three situations like Correa’s or Perisic’s shots where we could probably could have done better.”

“At the moment we’re chasing Milan and Napoli,” he added. “But there are still eight games to go and there’s still a long way to go for everyone.”

Of the significance of the win in Inter’s title pursuit Inzaghi said that “It’s important and I said yesterday on the eve of it that it would be.”

“It was the game we needed in this particular moment,” he continued. “We knew what kind of opponent we were coming up against, very strong, but the boys were brave.”

“Juve hadn’t lost for four months,” he added, “since the Supercoppa when they lost to us. Inter hadn’t won here for eleven years, and we’re also happy because we knew how much this match matters to the fans.”