Inzaghi before Benfica-Inter: “We are on the pitch with our heads”

From our correspondent Davide Stoppini

April 10th
– LISBON

Simone Inzaghi believes in his Inter. The difficult moment in the league (1 win, 1 draw and 4 knockouts in the last 6 days) the Piacenza coach tried to put aside and asked his training to focus only on the first leg match of the quarterfinals against Benfica . “We find a team of absolute value – observed Inzaghi -, who eliminated Juve and finished earlier in the group than PSG, but we are Inter. And we prepared well for this match. Benfica are first in the league and he has always done well at home. We came here with our convictions, happy to play in the semi-finals.”

TOGETHER

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The fact that the team hasn’t won since 5 March shouldn’t affect the Nerazzurri: “In the last week, in the three matches between the league and the Italian Cup, we did well, but unfortunately the result didn’t come. Whoever speaks or who writes is influenced from this. But we must go further”. Then on the offensive difficulties: “I was a striker, I know that there are periods like this, we have difficulty scoring and last year it was never like this. We have to believe in it even more, not think about luck or bad luck. ‘Together’: he has to this will be the key word for the next two months. We’ll need a head and heart match. I have no doubts about the heart, the commitment I see in the boys is insane. On the head, it’s clear that we have to be good at not thinking about the latest results. And it will be a match with different phases: in some we will have to defend ourselves, in others we will attack”.

DIFFERENCES

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Yet one wonders what is different between Inter in the Champions League and in the league: “Looking at the last week, I’d simply say the result. Even in the three games with Juve this season, we deserved a better result in all of them We’re not satisfied, it’s clear. We still need to add a little more”. Closing on the absentees, Skriniar and Calhanoglu: “These are heavy absences, I hope to have Hakan back on Saturday, while it will take a little longer for Milan”.

Inzaghi then asked his team for maximum attention: “The results didn’t come? We have to work harder and better. The boys will field what they have. Against Fiorentina and Salernitana we only got one point, but we played two excellent games, unfortunately not crowned by goals and results. We need to insist and use our heads. The episodes are not turning us in the right way. But now we don’t think about bad luck and we have to do more and better.” Final on his future and on the criticisms that the team has received: “Our goal was to arrive in March in the running for something and instead now we are in April in the running for everything, even if we are late in the league. The criticisms are heard, but we know what we’ve done in the Champions League, and it’s something extraordinary.”