Inter Coach Simone Inzaghi: “The Defeat Stings, If Dumfries Scored It’s A Different Game”

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi has said that the 3-1 defeat against Lazio stings and if Denzel Dumfries had scored in the second half things would have changed, according to a report in the Italian broadcast media tonight. 

Speaking during an interview with DAZN at the end of the match at the Stadio Olimpico on Friday night, via FCInternews, the manager picked out a key moment in the second half.

Inter had made it 1-1 through Lautaro Martinez just five minutes into the second half and then immediately afterwards, Denzel Dumfries had a great chance to score a header which would have made it 2-1 to Inter.

“The defeat stings for the way it happened. The match was balanced, and hard-fought against a quality opponent. Luis Alberto’s goal broke the game, at 1-1 we had Dumfries’ chance that would have changed things. We had to put more nastiness on our side because these games are played in moments.”

He stressed again how Inter were not nasty enough throughout the game and needed to be more ruthless.

“We created chances with Correa and Dzeko, we had a decent first half but we needed more nastiness and determination. We know that in these matches we have to do more.”

Simone Inzaghi was asked if the fact that Romelu Lukaku is still working to get to peak physical fitness affects the way that the rest of the team can play.

“He had played the first two games in the best way. More than looking at the changes we have to analyse a lost game, a direct clash that hurts. We know that we have to do more in these games to win, beyond the condition of Lukaku or Lautaro.”

The coach admitted that he knew Lazio would be very good at closing down the spaces that Inter’s attackers were trying to work in.

“We knew what Lazio would do that. In the first half we limited the counter-attacks by holding the field well and putting in lots of inviting balls. At 1-1 we needed more nastiness and determination. Dumfries’ chance would have turned the game on our side, before Luis Alberto’s goal.”

When asked if the Inter defence have got a lot of work to do based on this game, he said: “We have to do better, but the whole team. The first goal we cannot concede, the second and the third were two great goals with two very important individual plays. A team like ours cannot concede a goal like the first one.”

He chose to start with Roberto Gagliardini against Lazio and he confirmed that that was done to nullify Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

“Absolutely. After a defeat you look at the choices, but if Dumfries had scored the goal instead of Luis Alberto we would be talking about something else. In the league we know that there are teams like Lazio who can beat anyone in a single match.”

Finally, he was asked about the importance of losing direct clashes: “Defeats should not come, it came and it stings. We will analyse it tomorrow, but we have to be good at turning the episodes on our side.”