Simone Inzaghi feels the whole Inter team contributed to their victory away to RB Salzburg. ‘Qualifying for the Round of 16 with two games to spare makes us proud.’
Simone Inzaghi and Inter secure a spot in the Champions League round of 16 with 2 games to spare, thanks to their victory over Salzburg. This allows the Nerazzurri to look ahead to the upcoming matches with more ease and confidence.
Despite making several changes to the lineup, the coach managed to find his trump card on the bench, the ever-reliable Lautaro: “He is an extremely important player for us; he always brings a lot of enthusiasm. Clearly, qualifying two games ahead is a source of pride. It’s the third year in a row that we’ve reached the round of 16 with great merit. But there are 2 games are still missing.”
“I think the guys were excellent, regardless of who came in. Salzburg has physical qualities that are hard to come by, and it’s challenging to play against them. Towards the end, they eased off the pressure, and we developed our game better,” The coach assessed.
Regarding Lautaro not being in the starting XI, he added: “Tonight, he was on the bench and came in well, but Thuram and Sanchez also did well. I am very satisfied with everyone tonight. We knew the game would open up in the last 20-25 minutes. The substitutions helped us, but I wouldn’t forget the contributions of those who started.”
In the press conference, he added: “It’s the best start in my three years here. Time will tell if it’s the best season. We know we will all have to fight together; playing so much, some players will be left behind. We hope to recover Cuadrado as soon as possible because it was risky to play Dumfries tonight, and we had limitations on the right.”
“Asllani came on very well, and he has been doing so consistently lately. I wanted to give him some playing time. He’s growing with each game; tonight was just another example, like the game in Bergamo or the first leg.
Today, even though we’ve seen that De Vrij can perform well in certain games as the third center-back, I chose to start with Bisseck because he has shown growth and confidence in these two months. I had no issues starting him. He would have never been subbed off without the yellow card,” the coach said in the press room.
Pep Guardiola said that Inter is a tough team to face and is very well-coached. ‘Compliments are very pleasing, but he had already given them to me personally after Istanbul. I’m happy; it’s been a great ride. Now, we are deservedly in the round of 16. It won’t be easy to secure the top spot because Real Sociedad is proving to be a fantastic team.’
The first Italian team qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup.”“We knew that the round of 16 would bring us great satisfaction like this. We earned it, and we will give it our best shot.”
