Inzaghi: "We did well to resume with a win. All the top teams are flying"

MILAN – Inter kicked off 2022 in the best possible way, as the team racked up an eighth league win on the bounce to keep up the sterling vein of form which characterised the end of the previous calendar year by putting Lazio to the sword in a 2-1 success at San Siro. The deadlock was broken at the Meazza by Alessandro Bastoni, who turned provider for Milan Skriniar in the second half to restore Inter’s lead after Ciro Immobile had drawn the visitors level. 

“We wanted to kick off the year with a victory. It wasn’t easy because Lazio have quality and they have a good set-up on the pitch,” explained Simone Inzaghi after the game. “We deserved the win. I’m pleased with the lads. Now the Italian Super Cup awaits on Wednesday. It’s a final in which we want to play as well as we can at our home ground.

“I’m lucky enough to have top players in this squad. I’m thrilled about that and we have to keep this up because the league season is moving fast. All our close rivals won today, so we can’t stop here. Unfortunately, the Bologna game was postponed, but the lads did really well to get back up and running and stay focused.

“What makes me proudest is the way everyone is involved. Seeing [Arturo] Vidal be one of the best on the pitch against Torino and the way [Roberto] Gagliardini performed tonight shows the whole squad is fully committed, including those who might not start as often as others. The players did brilliantly in a tricky match.”

When asked if he feels the pressure from those who say that it’s Inter’s league title to throw away, the boss explained, “On 20 October, when we were seven points behind two teams, we weren’t thinking about such things. Nobody said this Scudetto was Inter’s to lose. That’s how it may seem now, but that should just serve as motivation for us to keep improving.”

The boss finished up by discussing Alexis Sanchez’s impact. “When I joined Inter, I didn’t have Alexis available for the first month and a half because he was recovering from a calf injury that he’d picked up at the Copa America. He’s a positive guy and he tries to convince me in every training session by giving his all throughout. He’s a wonderful resource for us to have. I have four brilliant strikers and I can only be pleased about that because I know I can always rely on all of them. Lautaro also played really well today and [Joaquin] Correa and [Edin] Dzeko both did well when they came on.”