Simone Inzaghi has warned his Inter players that they will need to put in a strong performance against RB Salzburg in the Champions League on Tuesday night if they are to avoid defeat against the Austrians.
The Inter coach sat down for his mandatory pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon ahead of the Group Stage visit from Salzburg on Tuesday.
During his chat with the press, reported by TMW, Inzaghi addressed a number of topics, including his team selection and his expectations for Tuesday’s game.
Inzaghi began by responding to his side’s impressive 3-0 win over Torino on Saturday.
“Well, on Saturday we won an important game, not an easy one,” he said. “Tomorrow is also very important, in a very balanced group, where we will have to keep our concentration levels high. Salzburg are not an easy team to face, they won in Lisbon against Benfica.”
Inter currently sit second in Group D with four points after their first two matches, the same record as Real Sociedad in first. Salzburg, however, sit just behind them on three points, having beaten Benfica in their most recent Champions League fixture.
Inzaghi continued: “In a group as balanced as ours, with a great team like Real Sociedad at the top, we know that every match will be very, very important. It will take great concentration, the guys know it and they know that there isn’t that much time for us, or for our opponents.
“It’s a team that plays good football, and a team that is aggressive, even if they played a different system during pre-season. We know we will have to put in a true Inter performance.”
Inzaghi also faced questions over Marcus Thuram and the impact he has had on the Inter side since his arrival from Borussia Moenchengladbach this summer.
“I think everyone knew about his quality, it’s normal that you might have some difficulty when you switch leagues, but instead he and his teammates have been very good. They immediately made him feel comfortable and he is giving us great results, but he must continue like this.”
In terms of the line-up on Tuesday, Inzaghi was not willing to give too much away.
“I have several doubts about the lineup, because we have a day less to prepare, the group will come together today. Rotations will start to happen, because playing every 72 hours is not good for mental or physical wellbeing. I will have to evaluate everyone carefully.”
“As for the wing-backs, they clearly work harder than anybody else in our system, that’s why I always try to change them during the game.
“Unfortunately we are missing Cuadrado at the moment, who played brilliantly in the first month, but he has an inflammation that means he can’t work quite as regularly as we’d hoped. Luckily I have Darmian to give Dumfries a bit of a breather.
The Nerazzurri boss was also asked about Inter’s next Serie A fixture against Roma, which will bring a reunion with last season’s loanee Romelu Lukaku, but Inzaghi insisted that the focus should remain on the Champions League.
“We will think about Roma and Lukaku in 48 hours, now we are focused on Salzburg and we know that we will have to be very concentrated.”