Former Inter Milan Director Walter Sabatini believes that only Serie A champions Napoli are clear of the Nerazzurri this season, despite them sitting in fourth place in the table.
This according to an interview published in today’s print edition of Turin-based daily newspaper Tuttosport, as reported via Milan based Inter Milan news-site FcInterNews.
Sabatini argued that when Inter were on form, they were the second best team in Italy after Napoli and felt that the Nerazzurri had strong attacking options, particularly in the shape of Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku.
“When Inzaghi is doing well, Inter’s game is second only to Napoli’s, which is a type of football that is also difficult to talk about because of how fascinating it has been,” Sabatini declared.
“Inter are irrepressible. So much so that at times they pay for this characteristic because they suffer from counterattacks and takes risks.
“However, let’s take the Nerazzurri’s second half display against Lazio: when Lukaku came on, they became a spectacular team.
“The Belgian, Lautaro, but also Dzeko: if Edin finds the goal they really become the team to beat. Who would I play in attack?
“I am biased. For me Edin would always play, I feel he is my player, but the Lukaku seen against Lazio is hard to leave on the bench.”
Inter face Sabatini’s former club Roma in Serie A today and the director admitted that the capital club presented a more difficult atmosphere to work in, whilst naming the Nerazzurri as his favourites to win the match at the Stadio Olimpico.
“Inter are favourites. The way they are playing and the results they are getting, they are a small step ahead of the others.
“But only a little step, not a kilometre. It also seems to me that they are a little less crazy now and have found sufficient balance.
“The Nerazzurri have definitely lost too many games in Serie A this year, but they are also in the semifinals of the Champions League.
“Roma is more difficult to work in. There are centrifugal and centripetal forces that are difficult to control. In Milan there is a bit more attention, in Rome the passion sometimes prevents you from certain reasoning because the fans are uncontrollable in certain aspects.”
Inter are due to face AC Milan in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday, and whilst he felt that either side could go on to lift the trophy, argued that defeat at this stage could prove catastrophic for the loser.
“One of the two will definitely fail to do win the trophy! To win the cup is an extraordinary feat, we await this duel in the semi-finals.
“Surely. the future mood of the players will be affected by the outcome of the tie though. Whoever gets to the final will have a Ferrari engine for the end of the season, whoever loses will be shattered, the clash will leave its mark,” he concluded.
Sabatini joined Inter from Roma in 2017 but departed the following year.
