Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi is not underestimating the challenge that awaits his team facing Porto tomorrow evening, but he is also confident heading into the clash.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of tomorrow evening’s Champions League round of sixteen first leg match, as reported by FCInterNews, the Nerazzurri coach also praised his former teammate and now rival coach Sergio Conceicao.
Inter are now just over 24 hours away from the first of two matches to play for a spot in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Standing in their way are a Porto team who have proved very formidable in Europe, and Inzaghi has little doubt that their quality and experience will make them exceptionally difficult opposition, as will the abilities of his opposite number Conceicao.
Asked about encountering former Lazio and Inter midfielder Conceicao on the bench of Porto, a former teammate of his from the Biancocelesti, Inzaghi said that “It’s a great pleasure to cross paths with Sergio again, he was a great teammate who I shared many victories with at Lazio.”
“He’s an excellent coach,” Inzaghi said of his Porto counterpart, “what he’s doing right now is very impressive.”
“His team plays football with both physical and technical quality, Porto are a very strong side and come into tomorrow off the back of ten straight wins.”
“They have quality players,” he said of the Portuguese team, “they have a couple of players who are a doubt thanks to injury just as we do, but regardless of who plays they’ll play with great organization thanks to Sergio.”
“We know how important these round of sixteen ties are,” Inzaghi said.
“I’m reminded of the two matches last season against Real and Liverpool, or the ones we played Bayern and Barcelona this season.”
“These are very demanding, international-quality matches, matches like these need a great mentality,” Inzaghi said.
“We’ll have to navigate the challenges in this match together as a team.”
Asked if he expects tomorrow’s match or the second leg to be decisive, Inzaghi replied that “There are 180 minutes to be played, we play in front of our fans tomorrow and we want to play an intense and determine match against a team who have a great record against Italian sides.”
“We hope that we can reverse their trend,” the coach said, referring to Porto knocking all of Roma, Juventus, and AC Milan out of the Champions League in recent seasons.
Asked what lessons the team took from their two round of sixteen matches against Liverpool last season, Inzaghi replied that “A knockout match is very different from a group stage one.”
“We’ll have to approach it in the best way possible, we know what we’re going to be up against.”
“We face an opponent who are used to these kinds of matches,” the coach added.
“They’ll come up against an Inter who are fit, in good form, and want to play the best possible match tomorrow.”
Asked about selection doubts for the attacking duo in tomorrow’s match, Inzaghi replied that “I don’t just have selection doubts in attack, I have to make decisions all over the pitch every match, and I try to do what’s best for Inter.”
Asked if there is a favourite to reach the quarterfinals between his side and Porto, the coach said that “I don’t know, we know that we’re up against a team who’ve appeared in a lot of round of sixteen and quarterfinal matches.”
“They have a lot of quality,” he said of the Portuguese team, “they have a striker who has the most assists in the Champions League this season.”
Looking back to the importance of last season’s round of sixteen matches against Liverpool, Inzaghi noted that “Inter hadn’t reached the round of sixteen for eleven years.”
“There are still some regrets about how the matches against Liverpool went.”
“Certain matches cause you to grow,” the coach explained.
“We will face tomorrow’s match with confidence, we’re in good condition and we know that we have to play a great match,” he added.
Of the tactical challenge that he expects from Porto, Inzaghi said that “They’re a team who know how to alternate between trying to take the match to you, and sitting back and waiting to strike.”
“We’ll need to come into it with a gameplan and know when the right times are to be cautious, and when to be less so.”
The coach stressed “Continuous improvement.”
“This a job that goes on over time,” he went on.
“We try to improve ourselves every day.”
Inzaghi stated that “The guys have always given me their absolute most, and now we’re seeing positive result.”
“There’s a sense of ambition which is always important,” he added.
Inzaghi predicted that “Tomorrow the mental side of things will be decisive, over 180 minutes it’s what makes the difference.”
“There will be difficulties, and we have to overcome them together, Porto are a team who always stay together on the pitch and don’t leave gaps.”
“We’ll need to show a lot of teamwork,” he stated.
Of the form of Romelu Lukaku and Marcelo Brozovic since returning from injury, Inzaghi said that “They’re doing very well, they’re recovering.”
“Brozo had been out for a long time apart from at the World Cup,” he noted.
“Now he’s starting to increase his playing time.”
“Lukaku was back a little earlier,” the coach noted, “he’s putting in a ton of effort.”
“With all of that being said, with those two just like all the other players, I’ll try to make the choices that are best for Inter,” Inzaghi said.
The coach made clear that “Anyone who doesn’t start from the first minute can still play a roleduring the match because the final minutes are the most important, when the teams start to get stretched out and leave gaps.”