Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi finds himself in a very different situation with a new mindset approaching the beginning of next season compared to last summer when he was looking towards his first season in charge.

This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, who report that the coach has entirely new expectations, with the return of Romelu Lukaku in particular a factor which has led the coach to be more brazen in his ambitions.

Last summer, Inzaghi was cautious in outlining his aims for the season, speaking of wanting to secure a top four finish and move beyond the group stage of the Champions League.

Now, the coach speaks much more openly about the Serie A title as a concrete and realistic goal for the Nerazzurri.

The twelve months that the former Lazio boss has had to make this team his own and the level of performances that he’s already gotten out of this group of players is one reason that Inzaghi can no longer pretend to be happy with just securing Champions League football.

Moreover, the coach heads into the upcoming season off the back of an ambitious transfer window which has seen the team reinforce the squad with targets signings across multiple positions, and so on paper this should be more his team than ever.

Most significantly, the shock return of Romelu Lukaku means that Inzaghi will be able to work with a proven Scudetto-winner who he had been unexpectedly deprived of last summer, and who he has made no secret of how highly he rates.

The likely sale of Milan Skriniar, as well as the possibility of a surprise departure of another player from the starting eleven such as Denzel Dumfries will give the coach some pause to temper his expectations.

However, on the balance of things, Inzaghi’s expectations and ambitions are undoubtedly much clearer than they were just twelve months ago.