Simone Inzaghi has conducted his pre-match media duties ahead of Inter’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Benfica at San Siro scheduled for Wednesday evening.
The Nerazzurri coach is expecting a ‘complicated tie’ despite his side holding a two-goal advantage over the visitors from their performance in Portugal last Tuesday.
Giving his assessment to the press, he explained: “We know it’s the second half of a very important tie, we start with an advantage but we know the quality of the opponent.
“It will be complicated and we will have to be good. Knowing that we could be in the top 4 in Europe would be a great goal.
“We know our path in the cups has been strong and we know that in the league we are not in the position in the table that we wanted at the beginning of the season. Now our focus is the match tomorrow night.
“We’ll have to play a game in the best possible way against an opponent of great quality, who like Inter are down in terms of results but not in performances. Benfica had lost two games in one year, now they’ve lost three in a week.”
Inzaghi was also asked whether uncertain situations surrounding his future as well as a number of his players’ futures at the club has had an impact on the club’s recently fluctuating results.
He responded: “As far as players are concerned, we have several whose contracts are about to expire but I see them working well every day. It’s part of today’s football to be criticised, we have to be strong, go with a cool head and always look to the next game, which at the moment is Benfica.”
“We’re coming from a defeat in the league, but that’s the past. We know we’ll have to be intense, Benfica are a team that runs, they cover the pitch well, they have excellent shape, we’ll have to cover every single part of the pitch to make it a less dangerous team. They create a lot.
Reporters also asked Inzaghi how it feels to be in charge of a team that is one game away from the final four in Europe, yet is still tipped to be at risk of losing his job at the end of the season.
“I don’t think it’s strange,” he replied. “Here at Inter, if you read before Barcelona or Porto it was the same thing. It’s something I’m used to, as long as they criticise me it’s not a problem: as far as me and my staff, the criticisms help us to improve more and more. We have to be good at isolating ourselves and try to get an important result for our fans.”
Inzaghi was keen to not give too much away in terms of team selection, but there are hopes that /hakan Calhanoglu will be available from selection following his injury during the international break in March.
“There are two training sessions to go, I can have an idea but clearly the next few hours will help me.”
Inzaghi ended with a response to Noel Gallagher, who said he would like Manchester City to face Inter in the final because they “aren’t very good and Lukaku is dreadful.”
His response: “He’s a great singer, I hope he’s also lucky in his predictions: seeing Inter in the final would make us all happy.”