Inzaghi: "Arsenal is one of the strongest teams in Europe; it’ll be an exciting match"

APPIANO GENTILE - Eve of the Champions League, Inter wait for the clash against Arsenal on Matchday Four of the league phase. The match is scheduled for Wednesday at 21:00 CET at San Siro. Ahead of the match, the Nerazzurri Head Coach Simone Inzaghi spoke in a press conference at the BPER Training Centre in Appiano Gentile:

What do you think you need to work on ahead of two important matches like these? "We know where we are working well: in the last eight games we have won seven and drawn one. We always have opponents that we have to compete against, we have to remember this: after last match I congratulated the team because they did everything that I asked of them, almost conceding nothing. The only problem that I had with the match against Venezia was that we didn't finish the game off early, we wouldn't have had to get to stoppage time being just one goal ahead, they played really well. Now we know what awaits us, but we take every match as it comes: Arsenal are one of the best sides in Europe: we've already played six matches, they've played two less in this cycle: we will try to put on a great show".

Are Taremi and Lautaro tactically compatible? How's Arnautovic? "Arnautovic has had a slight problem for about ten days, he has an eye infection. We're assessing him for tomorrow, this morning he trained better than the last few days. He's working very well, just like Taremi and Correa. Lautaro and Thuram have recovered quite well, Taremi is a bit fresher: today I had one team play against another made up of the more tired players, that have played more in recent weeks. We will assess the situation to put out the strongest side possible in what will be a great match".

Is there the possibility of a quick turnover? "I don't think so, I'm taking each game as it comes but unfortunately we have had three big matches every time after the Champions League. Only Inter have had a demanding match after a Cup game, while last week there was the midweek game: at Empoli we didn't use up too much energy thanks to the numerical advantage we had, even before Venezia I had quite a few players who were coming back from close games, partly due to absences. Energy wise we used up more on Sunday than against Empoli: the boys have recovered well though, even if we have prepared more using video than on the pitch".

A first assessment of the new Champions League half way through? "For us coaches and the players, it's more difficult, before we only had to prepare to face three sides in the time up until February. Now we have eight different matches and after three matches you already have a scenario in mind, now you more or less know the positions, but the league is based on placements and goals scored and conceded. The team knows this, it's probably a more interesting format, but for us it's more difficult, even if raises quality of the show".

Given the stage of the season, will you needing more than a win over just Arsenal or Napoli? "We will need to win both, we know we're up against two very strong teams, but our focus is on tomorrow. Arsenal are very well known, with a great coach like Arteta and a clear identity, aggressive and dynamic. They've gone toe to toe with Manchester City in the last two seasons, they're one of the strongest sides in Europe". Do you expect a similar match to the one against City? "In theory, we'll try to have the ball as much as possible, but they know how to press offensively and very well. We know that it'll be a problem for us when we don't have the ball, but it's the same for them when we have the ball". Does English football intrigue you? "We're talking about a brand of football that everyone likes, it's fascinating, but I'm really happy at Inter, we're one of the best sides in Europe". Is it an additional challenge facing a wounded team? "Yes, you know how a big team, like us after the Derby. It's likely that they have reasons for revenge, I watched them play against Newcastle, but playing away to them is really tough. It was an interesting match, but we know that we will be facing a side that will want to put on a show". Thuram has won seven out of the seventeen penalties that Inter have had in the last two years: is there a technical explanation? "Marcus is working really well, on Sunday I saw some unfair criticisms of him after the performance he put in. He made a few errors, but he played really well and he's come off the back of some closely scheduled matches: tomorrow, I'll make the decision, but he is improving every day and needs to continue on this path". Will you have the match against Napoli in mind when you pick the team for tomorrow? "Obviously as coaches, we have to make these sort of decisions daily, but I'm not thinking about Napoli at the moment. For me, those who are 100% will play, the schedule is not important. Arsenal are our top priority, last year they went far and are one of the favourites to win the competition".