Inzaghi: "We have the chance to write a fantastic chapter”

APPIANO GENTILE – Simone Inzaghi appeared at a press conference at the Suning Training Centre on Tuesday morning to look ahead to Inter’s Champions League 2021/2022 opener against Real Madrid at San Siro on Wednesday.

Check out what the Nerazzurri boss had to say below.

On whether Champions League disappointment in the past will be a factor…

“I think that stuff is in the past. Now we have the chance to write a fantastic chapter in the here and now. It won’t be an easy group, but we are hoping and aiming to qualify.”

On whether Inter have more experience now after last season’s title win…

“Experience is crucial in these games. Ever since the draw, we’ve known that as well as Real Madrid there are two other teams that will do everything they can to cause us problems. We’ve recovered after the Sampdoria match and we’re preparing well for the Real Madrid game. They have a lot of history, a great coach and great players. We want to do our best.”

On what kind of game he expects…

“Sunday was a setback that left us disappointed, but we were a man light in the final 20 minutes, which was the most intense part of the game. With [Luka] Modric back, Real Madrid’s passing game is very good. They know how to use the space and find areas in behind – we need to make sure that we keep the ball well when we have it and make our opponents do as much running as possible.”

On whether he has enough European experience…

“I think I’ve managed nearly 50 games in Europe across the Europa League and Champions League. Obviously [Carlo] Ancelotti has more experience than me. We’ll give it everything we’ve got and hope it’s our day. It’s going to be brilliant to play our first game in front of our fans, on this stage.”

On whether the match is decisive to Inter’s hopes of qualifying…

“We want to get the points we need to get through the group, starting with the match against Real.”

On Alessandro Bastoni’s fitness…

“The lad wants to be involved. I’ll assess him in training today and in the final session tomorrow. We’ll need to see how he responds on the pitch.”

On struggles against Verona and Samp following the convincing Genoa win…

“You can always improve. Against Samp on Sunday we struggled with the fact that we were a man light, after unforeseen circumstances left us with 10 men. Given our preparation for the game – with lots of internationals missing – I think we played well.”

On facing Carlo Ancelotti…

“Carlo is one of the must successful coaches ever. I’ve had the chance to talk football with him in the past. He gets his teams really well-organised, so we’ll need to produce the perfect performance.”

On Vinicius’ current form and how to stop him…

“He’s in great form – that’s true – but we can’t just focus on one player. They have a lot of talented footballers.”

On Real Madrid’s biggest threat…

“They’re obviously very well-organised. We’ve analysed their first four games this season. Ancelotti’s teams have great attacking play but they’re also very well set up in defence. They can punish you at any time.”

On ensuring the team feels confident ahead of the European campaign…

“We can’t focus on the past or on what might happen. We’re thinking about the present.”