Inter coach Simone Inzaghi has taken the blame for failing to give the same kind of motivation to his team in Serie A as he has done in the Champions League.
This is the view in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who argue that the Nerazzurri have looked like a team who lose their focus when they aren’t on the biggest stage, faltering in “unglamorous” matches.
Inter could hardly be accused of wilting under the pressure of the bright lights in European competition.
Far from it, the Nerazzurri’s journey in the Champions League has seen wins, clean sheets, and pitch-perfect performances against the likes of Barcelona, Porto, and Benfica so far.
Furthermore, there is a certain sense of optimism that the team can keep repeating their exploits in this sense to get even further, maybe even to the final of the competition.
In the league it has been a different story.
Inter have won their share of matches, but the sense has been that even when the team is in a more positive moment, the next major setback is not too far around the corner.
From the perspective of the Gazzetta, this reflects the fact that Inzaghi has always been able to get a tune out of the squad when they need to rise to the biggest occasion, but has never quite set the tone right from week to week.
The 47-year-old coach has certainly shown his adeptness at figuring out the right approach in heavyweight contests against teams like Barcelona or Benfica, setting up his team with a precise knowledge of when to be aggressive and when to sit back and counterattack.
Just as importantly, the former Lazio boss has proven that he can get all of the players rowing in the same direction to execute these plans in Europe.
Domestically, on the other hand, and particularly in matches against teams like Monza, Sampdoria, and Salernitana, there has been a certain listlessness.
The Gazzetta blames this on the fact that the Nerazzurri simply have all the initiative to go and kill those teams off, but don’t quite seem to know what to do with it.
From the newspaper’s perspective, Inzaghi has struggled to get cohesive performances from first whistle to last in the matches when the team have to go and break down an organized and physical team who are content to spend most of the match defending.
Then, after a few good chances go begging, the Nerazzurri have tended to let matches drift away from them, in a way that has never happened yet in the Champions League.