Ex Juventus Defender Argues: ‘Champions League Final Vs Man City Gave Inter Milan Self-Belief’

Former Juventus and Italy defender Andrea Barzagli believes that Inter Milan gained self-belief from the Champions League final.

Barzagli spoke to Italian broadcaster DAZN, via FCInterNews. He also questioned whether Benjamin Pavard risking making his injury worse by rushing to celebrate with his teammates was wise.

Last season, Inter reached the summit of European football.

The Nerazzurri could not go all the way by actually winning the Champions League final.

However, they did get tantalizingly close. Inter lost by a narrow 0-1 scoreline against Manchester City in the final of the competition.

Even with that defeat, however, the run to the final was certainly a major boost in morale for Inter.

Simone Inzaghi’s side proved that they could get the better of teams like Barcelona, Porto, and Benfica.

Then, the Nerazzurri won the two-legged semifinal derby against AC Milan.

This came despite the fact that Inter had endured a difficult season in Serie A. The Nerazzurri did manage a third-place finish, but their form was erratic and they never troubled Napoli at the top of the table.

Andrea Barzagli Says Inter Have Gained Self-Belief From Champions League Final Run

This season, the expectations have been as high as ever for Inter.

The Nerazzurri have had to try and show that they can transfer their knockout cup competition form into the league.

And so far, that is what Inter have done.

Simone Inzaghi’s men are currently top of the table. They have dropped a total of just five points all season so far.

Barzagli gave the view that “The Champions League final gave Inter even more self-belief.”

“I think it also proved that in the past two years, Inter have had a strong enough squad to win the league,” he said.

Barzagli also gave his thoughts on Inter defender Benjamin Pavard.

The Frenchman picked up a knee injury against Atalanta over the weekend. However, that did not stop him from running onto the pitch in a knee brace to celebrate with his teammates.

Barzagli said that “It shows his desire, which matters. But I think he could have avoided it, for his own sake.”