It all depends on us
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
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Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi recalled the first leg against the Miners, compared Shakhtar with the Serie A clubs and spoke about the personnel situation on the eve of the UCL group stage MD5 game
- Does the 3-2 win over Napoli give you confidence in solving the issue of advancing from the UCL group stage?
- On Sunday we had a really great game and beat Napoli – the team with the best defensive third in Europe, in my opinion. My charges passed the maturity and mettle test. We also know that in the match against Shakhtar, it all depends on us. After the victories over Sheriff, we’ll have to face the team who have an excellent coach and who exposed us to difficulties in the first leg. To achieve a result, we need to deliver our best performance.
- What’s the staffing situation before the match against Shakhtar?
- On Sunday we had a difficult match, with some problems arising. In particular, Barella and Correa asked for substitutions. Calhanoglu earned a yellow card late in the first half, and at 3-1 I also decided to replace him. Knowing that Dzeko experienced difficulties and did not play recently, and Satriano was suspended, I kept those circumstances on my mind. Tomorrow we will definitely not see the injured de Vrij and Sanchez on the field, but we are counting on everyone else. Let's see how the recovery goes.
- Do you feel any additional pressure, as Inter are expected to advance to the Champions League knockout phase?
- Tomorrow is very important for the club and the fans because we must solve one of the main tasks. When I came to Inter, at the first press conference, one of the goals I set was to return to the UCL Round of 16. The game against Shakhtar is decisive for us in many ways since in the last round we are going to travel to Madrid and I wouldn’t like to postpone the task until that game. But Shakhtar are also top-level opponents who can land us in difficulties. We are preparing for the encounter in the most thorough way.
- Is it more convenient for Inter to play the sides practising defensive football or the opponents who are ready to take risks and attack?
- I’m lucky to have some top-notch footballers in my squad who have been performing to top standards for many years, so the opponents’ tactic doesn’t really matter. Lately, we have repeatedly met with the opponents who dropped deep or tried to meet us high. I know Shakhtar well, I have often opposed the Miners’ current coach De Zerbi. He managed to quickly convey his coaching concepts to a very technical team featuring individually strong players.
- Does the fact that Shakhtar only need a victory play into the hands of Inter?
- I think this will not greatly affect the course of the match. We are facing a great game between the sides of the European level who are good at playing football which is really important to us, and this is a plus.
- Could you draw a parallel between the first leg against Shakhtar and the upcoming one.
- Back then, both teams could win. Maybe we had more chances, but Shakhtar had more successful individual actions and dribbles. We face the team who want to play, impose their own game, and we must try to prevent them from doing so.
- Are you pleased to read in the media that this is already Inzaghi's Inter?
- The process of growth is taking place, we are on the right track. However, there’s still a lot of work ahead because, like every coach, I have my own ideas. I was fortunate enough to find a wonderful environment that received me very well from day one. In four months’ time, we have covered a great way to convey our concept. The recent victory over Napoli will give us more confidence in our ability, because even though we’ve never lost big matches before, sometimes we lacked a win.
- Which Italian team is the most similar to Shakhtar?
- I think that’s Napoli we’ve just encountered, as well as Sassuolo – De Zerbi’s former club. Both try to control the ball in order to apply pressure and find the perfect scoring chances.
- What needs to be changed in Inter's play compared to the first meeting with Shakhtar in order to secure a win?
- In the first match we created lots of chances, but now we need to be more decisive and luckier. I remember Barella hitting the crossbar, dangerous shots by Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez. I think you need to worry when there are no opportunities, that’s always an issue. Shakhtar had more possession in the first leg, but created fewer threats than Inter.
- Will we see Stefano Sensi on the pitch in the nearest meetings?
- I’ve got some players who train very well. Frankly speaking, I miss de Vrij and Sanchez - they are important performers, and we expect them to heal their injuries as soon as possible. But other players show me some great signs as well. It's okay for a coach to have many players to choose from. I think everyone will play: some will do more of it, some will do less. Sensi works very well, just like everyone else, he will definitely have a chance. From this moment until Christmas, Inter will play lots of games, so he and other guys will still contribute to the team’s result.
- On Sunday we had a really great game and beat Napoli – the team with the best defensive third in Europe, in my opinion. My charges passed the maturity and mettle test. We also know that in the match against Shakhtar, it all depends on us. After the victories over Sheriff, we’ll have to face the team who have an excellent coach and who exposed us to difficulties in the first leg. To achieve a result, we need to deliver our best performance.
- What’s the staffing situation before the match against Shakhtar?
- On Sunday we had a difficult match, with some problems arising. In particular, Barella and Correa asked for substitutions. Calhanoglu earned a yellow card late in the first half, and at 3-1 I also decided to replace him. Knowing that Dzeko experienced difficulties and did not play recently, and Satriano was suspended, I kept those circumstances on my mind. Tomorrow we will definitely not see the injured de Vrij and Sanchez on the field, but we are counting on everyone else. Let's see how the recovery goes.
- Do you feel any additional pressure, as Inter are expected to advance to the Champions League knockout phase?
- Tomorrow is very important for the club and the fans because we must solve one of the main tasks. When I came to Inter, at the first press conference, one of the goals I set was to return to the UCL Round of 16. The game against Shakhtar is decisive for us in many ways since in the last round we are going to travel to Madrid and I wouldn’t like to postpone the task until that game. But Shakhtar are also top-level opponents who can land us in difficulties. We are preparing for the encounter in the most thorough way.
- Is it more convenient for Inter to play the sides practising defensive football or the opponents who are ready to take risks and attack?
- I’m lucky to have some top-notch footballers in my squad who have been performing to top standards for many years, so the opponents’ tactic doesn’t really matter. Lately, we have repeatedly met with the opponents who dropped deep or tried to meet us high. I know Shakhtar well, I have often opposed the Miners’ current coach De Zerbi. He managed to quickly convey his coaching concepts to a very technical team featuring individually strong players.
- Does the fact that Shakhtar only need a victory play into the hands of Inter?
- I think this will not greatly affect the course of the match. We are facing a great game between the sides of the European level who are good at playing football which is really important to us, and this is a plus.
- Could you draw a parallel between the first leg against Shakhtar and the upcoming one.
- Back then, both teams could win. Maybe we had more chances, but Shakhtar had more successful individual actions and dribbles. We face the team who want to play, impose their own game, and we must try to prevent them from doing so.
- Are you pleased to read in the media that this is already Inzaghi's Inter?
- The process of growth is taking place, we are on the right track. However, there’s still a lot of work ahead because, like every coach, I have my own ideas. I was fortunate enough to find a wonderful environment that received me very well from day one. In four months’ time, we have covered a great way to convey our concept. The recent victory over Napoli will give us more confidence in our ability, because even though we’ve never lost big matches before, sometimes we lacked a win.
- Which Italian team is the most similar to Shakhtar?
- I think that’s Napoli we’ve just encountered, as well as Sassuolo – De Zerbi’s former club. Both try to control the ball in order to apply pressure and find the perfect scoring chances.
- What needs to be changed in Inter's play compared to the first meeting with Shakhtar in order to secure a win?
- In the first match we created lots of chances, but now we need to be more decisive and luckier. I remember Barella hitting the crossbar, dangerous shots by Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez. I think you need to worry when there are no opportunities, that’s always an issue. Shakhtar had more possession in the first leg, but created fewer threats than Inter.
- Will we see Stefano Sensi on the pitch in the nearest meetings?
- I’ve got some players who train very well. Frankly speaking, I miss de Vrij and Sanchez - they are important performers, and we expect them to heal their injuries as soon as possible. But other players show me some great signs as well. It's okay for a coach to have many players to choose from. I think everyone will play: some will do more of it, some will do less. Sensi works very well, just like everyone else, he will definitely have a chance. From this moment until Christmas, Inter will play lots of games, so he and other guys will still contribute to the team’s result.