Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi feels that despite a bit of a flareup between striker Romelu Lukaku and midfielder Nicolo Barella during this evening’s Serie A draw against Sampdoria, the pair’s relationship remains good.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia after the match, via FCInterNews, the coach made clear that whilst he was not happy to see the pair vent their frustrations with each other on the pitch, they immediately calmed down and sat on the bench together as normal.
During the first half of Inter’s goalless draw at the Marassi, there was a moment in which Barella showed a bit of frustrated body language, something which Lukaku clearly did not take kindly to.
The Belgian waved his finger at his teammate and appeared to be making clear that he expected the 26-year-old’s attitude to improve.
Inzaghi addressed the fact that there had been tension that briefly came to a boil between the two players, but ultimately emphasized that things remain calm and friendly between them despite it.
“These are things that happen on the pitch, which shouldn’t happen, but it happened at the end of the first half,” the coach said.
“Afterwards they sat down next to each other, they’re great friends,” he continued.
“In any event, these aren’t the kinds of things that I ever want to see,” the coach said of his players.
Of the frustrating draw against the Blucerchiati, Inzaghi said that “We feel disappointed, we wanted to win and we didn’t underestimate how difficult this match was going to be, we were in control.”
“The result should have been different based on the chances that we created, it’s harsh on us,” he continued.
Asked if he now thinks that the Serie A title is out of reach for his team, Inzaghi replied that “We have to focus on ourselves.”
“We came into this match off the back of three consecutive victories, all with clean sheets, the signs have been positive.”
“The result is disappointing to us as it should be, but we also came up against a very organized Samp team who ran hard and did well to deny us space to play in,” the coach went on.
“We needed the final ball and the finishing to be better,” he said.
“There’s a lot to be positive about with the performance, but ultimately I can’t be happy,” Inzaghi lamented, “we needed to end the first half with an advantage.”
Of the performance of striker Lukaku, Inzaghi said that “He worked hard and helped us stay high up the pitch.”
“I’m happy with his performance,” he went on, “he started to drop off in the second half though and we started to get stretched and conceded some counterattacks.”
“So that’s why I decided to take him off for Dzeko,” the coach explained.
Of the performance by Marcelo Brozovic from the bench in the second half, Inzaghi said that “He’s still coming back, he’s been working well in training.”
“I thought about putting him in the starting eleven, then I decided to use him from the bench,” the coach continued.
“We had a few minor problems with Gosens, Dimarco only completed the final training sessions,” he added.
“We hope to have them available on Saturday and then against Porto,” Inzaghi concluded.