Former AC Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi has doubled down on his comments that Inter’s style of play is stuck in the 1960s and not suited to the top level of European football.
Speaking to Italian news outlet Gazzetta TV, via FCInterNews, Sacchi repeated the view that the Nerazzurri’s style of football is outdated, and also criticized teams for winning trophies while carrying debt.
Sacchi argued recently that while the Nerazzurri are a strong team who can get the job done in Italy, they are held back from the highest level by a style of play that is not tactically modern.
For Sacchi, the Nerazzurri have not adopted the kinds of pressing tactics that Europe’s elite do and this is an issue for them, and he has continued to put forward this view.
“Maybe I expressed myself badly or maybe I was misunderstood,” he said of his remarks, “Inter are playing good football at the Italian level, but at the international level they aren’t winning or only win one out of a hundred times.”
“Without pressing and without dominating the game, you’re limited in how far you can go,” he argued. “We must be optimistic. And a team who are always having to chase the game cannot be optimistic.”
Sacchi argued that “Liverpool don’t have a world-class player. When Salah was in Italy he was a good player, but not world-class.”
“But they play at a very high pace and intensity,” he said of the team that knocked the Nerazzurri out of the Champions League.
“Inter played good football yesterday as well,” he said of their 2-1 win over Udinese, “but it’s Italian football.”
“I have known Inzaghi for a long time, he’s a wonderful guy and I wish him all the best,” he continued. “He is improving, but without pressing and without dominating the game you cannot win.”
Sacchi also gave the view that the success of AC Milan in particular should be commended given the financial constraints that they have observed in recent years, compared to the spending of their Italian rivals.
“My hat’s off to Maldini and his companions for how they’ve run the club,” he said, going on to argue that “Winning with debt is a form of cheating.”
This was meant to compare the Rossoneri to Inter and Napoli, “But also Juve and Roma as I see it. Look at how much these teams spend.”