Inzaghi: "Fatigue setting in but these lads never give up"

REGGIO EMILIA – After Verona and Florence, Inter recorded another comeback win on the road  – this time in Reggio Emilia against Sassuolo.

The Nerazzurri looked off the pace somewhat in the opening 45 minutes and Domenico Berardi scored from the spot to give the hosts a 1-0 half-time lead, but Inter turned it around thanks to substitute Edin Dzeko's instant impact and Lautaro Martinez's cool penalty conversion.

Speaking to DAZN after the final whistle, Simone Inzaghi admitted his side lost their way a little in the first half.

“We got off to a good start but then stopping playing as a team after the first 15 minutes. We made lots of mistakes and struggled to deal with Sassuolo.

“You could see we were a bit weary from all the games we've had but we managed to keep our heads and responded really well. These lads never give up – they always want to win. 

“We have the international break now and we'll work with the guys who stay behind in Appiano. Hopefully we'll have everyone back at their best afterwards.

“The four who came off the bench gave us a massive hand today, and [Danilo] D'Ambrosio turned in a superb performance in those final 15 minutes. 

“We're getting [Alexis] Sanchez and [Joaquin] Correa back now so we have to do a good job of rotating everyone. 

“We've played seven games in three weeks. The fixtures are relentless but we know that's how it is nowadays. It's the same for us as it is for the other teams playing in Europe. It's very difficult but it's my job to rotate the squad at my disposal. We have to get used to it because this is the pace of the modern game.”

The coach then pinpointed one of the specific problems Inter encountered.

“Sassuolo leave three or four players up when they defend. We needed to be a bit more careful with our positioning as we were attacking. That's certainly an area where we can improve.

“It's the fourth time we've conceded the opener after Verona, Florence and against Atalanta at San Siro. Obviously I'd prefer to take the lead but we've shown how much we want to be up near the top. It's early days to be talking about the title. We have to focus on each game as it comes and see what happens.

Finally, the boss commented on Hakan Calhanoglu: “I'm happy with Hakan. He found it hard with Sassuolo's pressing today but he was excellent against Atalanta. Like everyone else he's having good spells and harder ones but he's a player I really wanted and I know he's got a lot to give us.”