Inter have been close to a perfect machine in cup competitions since Simone Inzaghi took over as head coach, to the extent that only Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool have managed to dislodge them.
This is highlighted in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who nevertheless caution that the Nerazzurri must start from zero in their upcoming Champions League semifinal tie against AC Milan.
Whilst Inzaghi has been under fire for Inter’s persistent inability to make good on a consistent run of results in the league, in knockout matches there has been little to criticize the former Lazio coach for.
After eliminating Juventus from the Coppa Italia semifinals in Wednesday evening’s second leg match, the coach ensured that he has yet to be on the losing end of a knockout match in the competition.
In the Champions League, meanwhile, the Nerazzurri have been flying high, emerging victorious from two-legged ties against the likes of Porto and Benfica to follow up their heroics against Barcelona during the group stage.
Last season, as well, Europe’s top club competition had been a showcase for Inzaghi and his team, even if they didn’t manage to make it to the latter stages as they have done this time around.
It was Klopp’s Liverpool, eventual beaten finalists against Real Madrid, who proved to be a bridge too far for the Nerazzurri on that occasion.
Whilst Inter did not manage to progress beyond the Reds, they did push them all the way, and won plaudits for how over the two legs they never looked out of place and made every attempt to impose their own style of play and preferred tempo.
Moreover, there is the fact that Nicolo Barella had been suspended for both legs of that tie, and even though Arturo Vidal’s efforts across the two legs were admirable, the sense was that the former Cagliari midfielder’s availability could well have been decisive.
Inzaghi’s insistence that the tie against Liverpool had represented an important signal and a stage of growth for the Nerazzurri had been met with some skepticism.
However, the Nerazzurri’s performances in Europe this time around have seemed to give credence to the 47-year-old coach’s belief that the team had turned some kind of a corner against the Reds last season, in terms of their self-belief and confidence.
None of this, however, means that Inter should take anything for granted against AC Milan in their two-legged Milan derby for a place in the final next month.
Nor, the Gazzetta argues, should the fact that the Nerazzurri comfortably handled the Rossoneri in each of their last two meetings, in the Supercoppa Italiana and then in Serie A.
Inter will have a chance to once again prove their mettle on the biggest stage against their city rivals, but they must treat it as a blank slate in which to keep building rather than a situation where they start out with any kind of advantage.