The former Milan, Juventus, and Roma coach Fabio Capello, spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport about the Inter’s current season, a team he never coached but shared ownership with during his time at Jiangsu Suning.
The former coach assessed Simone Inzaghi’s growth trajectory, stating that winning the Champions League is not impossible.
EXTRAORDINARY INTER
“I believe that the journey of this extraordinary Inter began at the end of the last season, in the Champions League final in Istanbul, when they lost 1-0 against Manchester City. On June 10, Simone Inzaghi’s team realized they were strong way stronger than they thought. In the second half they played with that intensity and quality, putting pressure on a powerhouse like Pep Guardiola’s team, it gave awareness to everyone, the coach, and the players, both those who were already there and those who would arrive in the summer.”
MENTALITY
“Indeed, there has been the strength and ability to instill this mentality in players like Sommer, Thuram, Pavard, Frattesi, Arnautovic: you’ve joined a team that fears no one, in Italy as well as in Europe.”
PLAY WELL AND WIN
“Finally in Serie A, I can admire a team that plays and wins as I like. Vertical, dynamic, fast. Inter does not try to copy the possession-based dominance imposed by Guardiola’s City, a rather static model that the Nerazzurri would copy poorly anyway given their different qualities. Inzaghi was smart to take this tactical direction and work on it with conviction.”
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE VICTORY
“Now this Inter is very much in vogue; everyone is captivated by its results and style of play. For months, I have been telling foreign journalists to give serious consideration to Inter for winning the Champions League, even when bookmakers placed only Real Madrid, Manchester City, and perhaps Paris Saint-Germain ahead. The risk? Everything goes through the mind; an error from this point of view could have very serious consequences. However, some signals reassure me.”
