Voices from Prague: "Close to our objectives, we want the last - 16"
Team
— Jan 22nd 2025An important win for Inter, analysed by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Stefan De Vrij, Kristjan Asllani and Piotr Zielinski
Fifth win in seven games in the Champions League 2024/25 for Inter: the Nerazzurri now sit in fourth position, with 16 points in the standings. The objective for Inzaghi's side will be to gain direct qualification in the final match of the League Phase: which will see the Nerazzurri take on Monaco at San Siro on Wednesday 29, January. After the win in Prague, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Stefan De Vrij, Kristjan Asllani and Piotr Zielinski analysed the Inter performance sharing their thoughts after the game:
“Lautaro Martinez's goal was the key: an important win ahead of the final match, it won't be easy against Monaco but we hope that we won't need to play two extra games, considering our schedule in February. We dominated the first half, playing well despite not creating too much: they improved in the first ten minutes of the second half, then we regained confidence and had chances to seal the win, even though we didn't manage to. I feel really good, I thank my teammates who gave me confidence after my injury: we need everyone, because it will be a very long season and everyone has to contribute to help us reach our goals. We have to forget this match straight away and think about Lecce from tomorrow: we will need to be at our best to win and climb up the table, fighting for the Scudetto. If we think it's difficult to concentrate on one match after another, it's best to not even step on the pitch. ”
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
“We played well, today's match was very important for our Champions League campaign, we want to finish in the top eight. It was important to start well, our approach was positive, we passed the ball around lots and they closed themselves in, waiting for us to make a mistake. We did well in preventing this and then we scored a great goal: we didn't manage to get the second, but they weren't too dangerous in the first half. They grew into it in the second half, but defensively, we held strong to deal with their long balls, also because the match was always open at 1-0. We did really well in managing the game. ”
Stefan De Vrij
“We had to bring the win home because we knew that it would be important, and now we only need a point. The match tonight required a lot of concentration, we had the ball a lot in the first half and they shut down the spaces very well, in these cases you have to be aware of the counter-attacks, we did very well in this. I am happy to be able to play and wear this jersey, I am focused every game. We have to prepare well for our away trip to Lecce because it will be a difficult match. ”
Kristjan Asllani
“This was a match that we dominated, but there's always some risk with results like this. We could've finished it off earlier in the match, but we're happy because the three points were very important. We're a mature side, we know how to manage moments in the match and turn the ball over: we didn't manage to score more goals, but we're happy with the win. I played well as a regista today, I had to turn the ball over, but it went well for everyone: those who started and those who came off the bench contributed. We all knew the importance of this match, we played well but we have to confirm our position and also win against Monaco to be sure of a top-eight spot as we will be able to rest a bit further ahead, playing two games less. ”
Piotr Zielinski
Interviews
Aug 05 2022