Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi held his first pre-match press conference of the Serie A campaign and admitted his club’s interest in Benjamin Pavard
The 47-year-old spoke to the press on Friday afternoon ahead of his team’s fixture against Monza on Saturday evening.
The former Lazio tactician can’t wait to greet the fans at the Giuseppe Meazza following a long summer break.
“I’m excited because it is the first time we see our fans again after the Champions League final in Istanbul where they were wonderful,” said Inzaghi during his presser via FcInterNews.
“We hope to start in the right way. Our fans deserve it.
“The boys have worked well in pre-season despite the long journeys. The team has trained in the best way possible.
“We can’t wait to get started, we know we have responsibilities, we have three games before the break and we want to start on the right foot.”
The manager admitted that that it has been a complicated transfer campaign for the Nerazzurri. But he leaves it to the results on the pitch to determine whether the club has become stronger or weaker.
“It’s a complicated market for almost everyone, a big change is underway. We’ve changed many players, some were among the best in their role in Italy.
“But new players have arrived to fill the gap. They will give us a hand.
“The pitch will tell whether we’re stronger or weaker. We’ve changed a lot. Some of the choices were ours, while others were dictated by the players.
“I can only say that I’ve seen great commitment and I’m happy with how the team is working. The younger ones already have experience in Serie A”.
Inter Milan Manager Simone Inzaghi Discussed Several Topics In His Pre-Match Conference, Including Benjamin Pavard
The manager refused to get involved in the game of predictions. But reveals that the club’s main objective is winning the 20th Scudetto title.
“I don’t like making predictions. I’d like to win the second star, the fans deserve it, our goal is to win trophies and play as many matches as possible.
“It will be a long and difficult journey but we’ll work hard to make it happen.
“We’ll rely on enthusiasm and motivation. This is what my players displayed in these 45 days of work.
“An insane commitment put in so far, there have been some changes, it didn’t happen last year, but it’s part of football nowadays.
“Furthermore, the Arab market will be open for another 15 days and some coaches could find themselves without some key players without having the chance to replace them.”
As for the schedule, Inzaghi insists that all Serie A teams are competitive and can cause big problems.
“Last year we had a difficult calendar in the end. But instead, we climbed positions and earned a place in the Champions League. We won 8 and drew one out in 10 matches.
“In Serie A, all the teams are organized. You must study them in the best possible way. I can only say, from what I’ve seen so far, that the team is working well. It follows the game principles we set.
“The market remains unknown. We know that a defender is missing and we will have to be good at finding the right profile.”
Naturally, a reporter brought up Romelu Lukaku. But the coach tackled the topic in a diplomatic fashion.
“I’ve already said what I had to say. I thanked him for what he gave us last year, I really wanted him at the club.
“I would have wanted him back but he chose a different path. I’m sorry for how it ended because he was well received by the Inter family.”
“Right now the four strikers I have at my disposal are working well, you already know Lautaro and Correa.
“Thuram and Arnautovic are new but we know them, they are high caliber players and they must guarantee us the goals that Lukaku and Dzeko delivered last season. Our attackers complement one another.
“Thuram already speaks perfect Italian which makes things easier.
“As for Yann Sommer, he is a great professional, He needs no introduction. But it’s not just them, there are others who allow us to be competitive in every department. We’re only lacking a defender”.
Inzaghi insists that he needs a defender who can play as a right centre-back.
“It must be a third defender. Bisseck has arrived and he is a young man who comes from the Danish championship which is very different from Serie A, so we must be patient with him.
“We are missing a right arm which is not easy to find. We are working on some profiles.
The Inter boss claims he’s satisfied with the four strikers at his disposal.
“We only needed four players in attack last season. This year I’m satisfied with the four I have and I hope they’ll help us starting tomorrow.
“Arnautovic is a physical player, a target man with great technique. He has vast experience.
“Thuram is a French international who did well in Germany. We were already interested in him in January.”
Inter Milan Boss Simone Inzaghi Admits The Club’s Interest In Bayern Munich Defender Benjamin Pavard
Inzaghi also expressed his delight after being nominated for the UEFA Manager of the Year award along with Pep Guardiola and Luciano Spalletti.
“I’m happy. I share the nomination with the club, staff and players, those who are still here and the ones who left.”
The coach praised Stefano Sensi who returned to the club following a loan stint at Monza.
“Stefano is working well every day, and I’m happy with his return. I was also happy in the first six months he spent under my guidance.
“He also scored important goals. He’s working well and I’m satisfied with him. Now my main thought is tomorrow’s match against Monza. We should be here talking about the Biancorossi.”
“It’s an organized team with an excellent coach who put us in great difficulty last season. We analyzed them and we trained hard to play an excellent game.
“Carlos Augusto and Frattesi will help us a lot. Frattesi is a modern midfielder who combines quality and quantity.
“Carlos, together with Cuadrado, allows us to have important alternatives on the wings.
Inter Milan are currently tracking Benjamin Pavard, and the coach admitted the club’s interest in the Bayern Munich defender.
“Pavard is an objective, I don’t want to talk about players from other teams. He’s not the only one. But we need a player in that department.
“Darmian was a very important man last season thanks to his versatility, so must thank him. But I need competition in all roles. This would also increase the intensity in training.
“I haven’t read Arrigo Sacchi’s analyses but we’ll try to make those who don’t sing our praise change their mind with strong performances on the pitch.
“Personally, I’m not interested, but I hope they say good things about my players because they’ve been doing excellent things for two years.”
Roberto Gagliardini and Danilo D’Ambrosio will return as opponents for the first time since leaving Inter in the summer. Inzaghi expects a warm welcome for his former players.
“San Siro will applaud them. Let’s not forget Carboni. He’s an excellent player with great potential.
“D’Ambrosio and Gagliardini are two excellent professionals and it’s only right that San Siro applauds them. They deserve it”.
