Inter Vice-President feels that what Inter have in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Benfica is nothing less than a “massive opportunity.”
Speaking to Italian broadcaster DAZN ahead of the match, via FCInterNews, the Nerazzurri Vice-President stressed that the team are all united and ready for tomorrow’s challenge, whilst he also defended the form of striker Romelu Lukaku.
Inter are now just a little over 24 hours away from playing in what will be a season-defining match for them.
The Nerazzurri take a 2-0 lead from the first leg of the tie into tomorrow’s match, but they will be well aware that nothing is done yet and that a massive effort will be needed to get it over the line and book their place in the semifinals of Europe’s top club competition.
Zanetti stressed that “I’m always positive and confident despite some difficulties we’ve been having particularly in the league.”
“This is a massive opportunity for us,” he added.
Why are there two Inters in terms of performance?
As for the discrepancy between Inter’s form in the league and in the Champions League, Zanetti admitted that “It’s difficult to find an explanation, we’ve been asking ourselves that question as well.”
“The thing that will be fundamental will be staying united in view of Wednesday’s massive opportunity.”
As for a message to the Nerazzurri supporters, the Vice-President said that “We thank them because they’ve always supported us, they’ve always been behind us, San Siro is always full and that has to be emphasized.”
“On Wednesday we’ll all be united in trying to reach this semifinals of the Champions League, something which he haven’t done for a long while.”
“We hope that the team can give their response on the pitch,” the Vice-President added.
Asked if there’s been a reckoning within the team after Saturday’s shock defeat against Monza, Zanetti said that “Let’s say that we’re always talking, I particularly like to speak with clear heads at [the training ground] the day after a match.”
“We’re trying to understand the reasons for this negative trend in the league, staying more compact than ever in the face of difficulty, and all our focus is on Wednesday,” he added.
Regarding the form of striker Lukaku, Zanetti said that “As far as Romelu is concerned, I think that his lengthy injury weighed a lot on him – it’s difficult for a player of his characteristics to recover back to his best.”
“We have to stay behind him, because he can be decisive,” the Vice-President went on, “he has to keep a calm head.”
“I understand the way the momentum has been for him, but he’s the only one who can give a positive response.”
“As for the coach, I’ll say that he has always shown total professionalism, beyond the fact that he too recognizes that the league performance is not enough when looking at the quality our team has,” he said of Simone Inzaghi.
“Wednesday we have a big opportunity, and then between the league and the cup competitions we’ll try to reverse trend which has not been good,” he added.