Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni has opened up about the painful memories of the Champions League (UCL) final defeat in Munich.
Speaking ahead of Inter’s FIFA Club World Cup opener against CF Monterrey via FCInterNews, Bastoni addressed the dismal final.
Despite Nerazzurri’s dominant run to the showpiece event, Paris Saint-Germain proved too strong at the Allianz Arena.
Indeed, Luis Enrique’s side demolished the San Siro giants 5-0 en route to their maiden Champions League triumph.
On the other hand, it wasn’t a good way to go for the now-former Inter boss Simone Inzaghi.
The 49-year-old lost both Champions League finals during his four-year stint at Giuseppe Meazza.
However, this last defeat to PSG was hard to digest.
Though he was outstanding in the league phase and the knockouts, Alessandro Bastoni stuttered in the final.
It’s been just over a fortnight since the Munich fiasco, and the Italian defender is still bamboozled.
Alessandro Bastoni Delivers Verdict on Inter Milan Humiliation in UCL Final
“It’s not easy,” Bastoni admitted. “But our job requires us to start again, to look at the positive things we did during the season that’s just ended, and then to begin a new cycle.
“What we absolutely must do is bring new enthusiasm.
“In terms of how it feels, it seems like a lifetime has passed since that night in Munich.
“We’re used to resetting, starting over, resetting again, starting over again.
“Even when you do well, you always have to put the past aside and prove yourself in the present.
“From that point of view, there’s one small advantage.
“We have to forget what that night was and focus on the journey that brought us there; take the good things we did this season with us.”
Managerial Shift
Inzaghi left the club only days after the final, with Cristian Chivu taking over the reins after Cesc Fabregas’ rejection.
“We have to find that energy,” Bastoni added. “The coach is helping us to rediscover that spark.
“He’s really focused on the path we’ve taken in recent years, on the good things we’ve achieved.
“We have to trust him and also the new players, who will bring enthusiasm.
“These are things that happen in our world; cycles aren’t infinite.
“Of course, the responsibility is shared between players and coaches in these situations.
“But again, these things happen in our world and we have to be ready for them.
“We’ve already asked ourselves why things went that way in Munich.
“It’s human nature to question the reasons behind unhappy moments.
“I still can’t give myself an explanation for that night, but thank God this job allows you to start over.
“We have a new opportunity, and we’re hungry and really eager to bounce back and do our best.”
Meanwhile, Bastoni admits Chivu’s approach has already impressed him.
“He struck me right away on a human level,” he continued. “I already knew him because he coached the Primavera team.
“Here, he really emphasized the journey we’ve made and the good things we’ve done.
“Maybe we needed to hear those words — he impressed me a lot from a human perspective.
“I’ll be able to say more in a few weeks, so far, we’ve only had two training sessions.”
Furthemore, Bastoni believes Chivu can help Inter find a way back to the top.
“Absolutely. Between him and Kolarov, I’m in good company, so I have no doubts.
“We’ll need to do a lot of work on the mental side of things, because the seasons are long and exhausting.”
Finally, he confessed he bid an emotional farewell to Inzaghi.
“Yes. We had four wonderful years together, and then he made this decision.
“There’s nothing but respect – everything’s very calm. We still talk often.”
We got sold out, that’s what happened
inzaghi is weak coach, he lost us 2 scudettos ! we were superior to everyone in searia a in past 5 seasons, yet we only managed to win once ! he has no plan b, plan c, plan d, he didnt change tactic, he made same subs every game, doesnt matter the score, everytime he try to keep the score at final minutes, he failed !
PSG didnt allow us to mark their players, they stay in between lines and cinstantly switching, our one dimensional coach is leaving too much gap between midfield and back line which is filled by their front 3 plus Hakimi, when they get penetetrated with a through pass from Vitinha, our back 3 is overwhelmed by the pace and number of players, this tactic is already used by Milan, unfortunately our coach is incapable to rectify a problem, failing to win against Milan side 5 times tell you the level that he is
I’ll tell you what happened. PSG flouted FFP and through overinflated sponsorships received through companies they basically own as well (Qatar Tourism Authority & Qatar airways) – the Qatar owned PSG has spent 2100 million dollars over 14 years while playing in a low TV rights French league with little demand for their product – able to put together a superstar team of very talented individuals which the likes of only prime Real Madrid, Barca or AC Milan could hope to match. Couple with that they won the league 4 weeks out before the final they had well rested, young, world class players in EVERY position.
BUT it was all facilitated by money PSG simply can not earn legitimately so Inter should never have faced that lineup.
Anyone who thinks otherwise is ignorant.
PSG has been doing this since 2011/12. They’ve had the likes of Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Neymar, Mbappe, Messi, etc. but couldn’t get it done until now. One could argue that PSG’s lineup is not even their best lineup in recent years. That said, they do play like a team and that is thanks to Luis Enrique who was able to unite them all and get players to buy into his system. What you said is not wrong though. But we have to give them credit too. As I mentioned earlier, they’ve had true superstars in the past but couldn’t get it done. Same with Man City. You don’t simply buy the best players and win, you need a system that makes it possible. That’s where the coach comes in.
PSG did not let us , play our Sommer centered, preparing passes with 3 defenders, Inzaghi should have changed this game plan in the first 10 minutes even before the first half.
Easy to explain. Luis Enrique had prepared the team in every detail and had totally figured out Inzaghi’s tactics.
let me tell you what happened Bastoni.
They worked on their project perfect. They worked and thought ever detail. And we thought it will be like Barça and Bayern