Inter coach Simone Inzaghi feels that striker Romelu Lukaku gave a clear illustration of why the Nerazzurri brought him back with his performance against Empoli in a 3-0 win this afternoon.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster DAZN after the match, via FCInterNews, the coach gave his reaction to the match and particularly to the outstanding second half display against the Tuscans.
Whilst Inter may have had reason to think that this afternoon’s match was heading in the same direction as some recent matches after a first half which saw them dominate possession of the ball but carve out few telling opportunities, it was quickly evident that the second half would not be more of the same.
The Nerazzurri were always going to need a decisive contribution from one of their big players, particularly in attack, and that is exactly what they got from Lukaku who scored twice and then assisted Lautaro Martinez for the team’s third for good measure.
Of having the striker in this form, Inzaghi said that “He’s very important to us, this is why we brought him back.”
“We all know how much both the team and he suffered this season, sometimes in football unexpected things happen,” the coach said of Lukaku’s injury problems.
“He’s training well as the other strikers are, it’s good as a coach to have the problem of too many players to choose from,” he added.
“It’s a problem that I want to have in all positions,” the coach emphasized.
“And having his suspension lifted [against Juventus this Wednesday] is great for the player, and a great gesture by the FIGC for the system and for young people who watch football,” he added.
Of the match against Empoli as a whole, Inzaghi said that “In the first half we were dominant, but we were also predictable, we knew we could do better in terms of game management and possession.”
“Romelu’s goal gave us a lift in the second half, but overall we played a good match just 72 hours on from a match against Benfica that sapped a lot of energy from us,” he added.
“I got a great response from the team, and this is a great sign,” he added.
“The players who haven’t played in a while gave a great response, but I had no doubts that they would, I’ve wanted to rotate the team.”
“This is an important win that we needed, and we’ll take it going forward.”
“This was meant to be a week in which the teams who play in European competition can recover, but we’ll play against Juventus in the Coppa Italia and try to do so at our best,” he added.
Of the increase in tempo and pressure on Empoli in the second half, Inzaghi said that “That always has to be there, we came up against a team who were ready to try and hit us on the break.”
“With faster circulation of the ball we were able to get past their first line of defense more easily, and that made everything simpler,” he added.
Of what he intends to do in the lead-up to next month’s Champions League semifinal tie against AC Milan, the coach said that “It will be an important match, with the final of the biggest club competition in Europe up for grabs.”
“But first we have a lot of other important matches on the way, and we can’t get ahead of ourselves.”
“The fixture list is crazy, but we can’t make any excuses,” he added, “we have to be stronger than everything.”
Asked if Hakan Calhanoglu and Marcelo Brozovic could continue starting matches together, Inzaghi said that “They showed in last season’s matches that they can play together.”
“Then we also have Barella, Mkhitaryan, Gagliardini, but also Asllani who is capable of a lot of growth, and I hope to have all of them available to me,” the coach concluded.
