Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi was hoping to make substitutions to give his team added impetus when they were only trailing by a goal against Bayern Munich, but then the team conceded and things ended as the derby against AC Milan did.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster SportMediaset, the coach gave his reaction to a match which saw the team push for an equalizer but ultimately come away empty-handed, and explained the rationale behind his substitutions.
Inzaghi has gained a reputation as a coach who is often quick to make substitutions to refresh his team or try to make changes when things aren’t working on the pitch.
Against Bayern, however, the coach relied on his starting eleven well into the second half of the match, only deciding to go to his bench when the team were facing a two-goal deficit and well and truly chasing the game.
“I didn’t want to give the team a big shock when it was still 0-1,” he explained. “As was the case in the derby I was getting ready to make the substitutions, but then the ball never went out of play and we conceded.”
“Tonight was a different game than Saturday,” the coach continued, “we were playing against a very strong opponent, the best team in Europe at the moment in terms of intensity.”
Asked if he feels that a lack of finishing is part of his team’s problem, Inzaghi replied “Absolutely, yes, in the second half we created two clear and obvious chances that would have put the game back on track, and then it would have been a very different final half an hour.”
As far as the debut of goalkeeper Andre Onana, Inzaghi said that “He did well. I made the decision to rest Handanovic, Barella, and de Vrij, and everyone who played in place of them did well.”