Inter Milan CEO Beppe Marotta wants to see the team show their ambition and try to go toe-to-toe with Man City in this evening’s Champions League final.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster SportMediaset, via FCInterNews, the Nerazzurri executive gave his thoughts ahead of the final.
Inter will know just how tough the team they’re up against this evening is.
Manchester City have more than proven what they’re capable of all throughout their Champions League campaign. The Cityzens have also won yet another Premier League title, their fifth in the last six years.
However, ambition and self-belief have gotten Inter this far.
The Nerazzurri got out of a group containing Bayern Munich and Barcelona when few believed that they would. Then, with the knockouts culminating in the final, Inter are one of the last two teams standing.
Inter CEO Marotta: We’re Ambitious To Go Toe-To-Toe With Man City
Marotta said that “We’re a strong team. We have great sporting ambition, which has to push us to play on par with them even if they’re stronger than us on paper.”
“We have to take to heart that we can beat them,” he continued. “Even if today they’re more accredited than us.”
Marotta than reiterated his view that the biggest spender doesn’t always win.
“We’re playing this match eleven against eleven,” the Inter CEO said.
“The value of the squads are clearly different, but then the team with less money has to come up with other qualities, like attachment to the shirt and support from the fans.”
He made clear that “Sport is unpredictable.”
Of what reaching the final represents, Marotta said that “There’s great satisfaction, it’s a source of pride that extends to all the Inter directors. Ausilio, Baccin, and Zanetti as well.”
“The credit also goes to the coach,” he continued.
“We’re here totally deservedly, we want to play a leading role,” Marotta said. “We come into this with great sporting ambition, which shouldn’t be confused with arrogance or presumption.”
He made clear of facing City that “They’re a strong team, built with millions and millions of euros. We’ve made a virtue of necessity, but we have squad of top professionals.”
“We’re here to win, not just satisfied with having reached the final.”
Marotta On Inter Milan’s Serie A-Champions League Discrepancy
The Inter CEO also gave his thoughts on the discrepancy between Inter’s performances in Serie A and the Champions League.
“We need to analyze what’s happened this year,” he said. “It’s also linked to the World Cup in December, which sowed some confusion in the players’ minds.”
“It’s been a psychological issue rather than a technical, tactical, or physical one,” Marotta argued of Inter’s erratic form in the league.
“When you’re playing against beatable opponents, who’re weaker on paper, you need a strong mentality,” he said.
“Let’s not forget that out of our twelve league defeats, many were against teams we could easily have beaten.”
“It’s a black mark on an otherwise positive season,” Marotta said of the team’s Serie A campaign. “We have to grow in that sense.”
