Inzaghi didn’t expect Inter to reach Coppa Italia Final after summer sales

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi admits he didn’t expect to be in the race for a domestic treble at this stage of the season and insists he has no regrets about this campaign.

The Nerazzurri will face Juventus in the Coppa Italia Final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome tomorrow.

“It’s a final, there isn’t a receipt to win it. Finals are to be played knowing that our opponent is strong, we’ll need 110% to reach our second target this season,” Inzaghi said at a press conference attended by Football Italia.

“It’s an important week for everyone. We know what we’ve done, we know how we began here. We have done well, thanks to the team. Expectations have grown and are accepted.

“We won the first trophy in January, but we must focus on the future and at the end of the game we’ll think about the last two matches of the season, thinking about how we started. We’ve done a huge job. We’ve worked well. There is a lot to play for in these last 15 days. Perhaps, I wouldn’t imagine being here in July.”

The defending Serie A champions sold Achraf Hakimi and Romelu Lukaku to balance the books but remained competitive and are in the race for a domestic treble this term. They won the Supercoppa in January and are two points off leaders Milan in Serie A, with two games remaining.

“Details will make the difference tomorrow,” the coach continued.

“We know each other well, we’ve met three times this season and we know there will be a lot of quality on the pitch. We need to handle the difficult moments in the best way.

“I owe everything to the team, they’ve always followed my staff and me. This has been a great season, we’ve played 50 games and I think we played good football for 5-7 months. We wasted a few points in some games, but if I think about how we played against Liverpool and how we got to this final, I’d be happy to drop points again.”

The Nerazzurri also qualified for the Champions League Round of 16 for the first time in ten years this season, but were eliminated by the eventual finalists Liverpool despite winning at Anfield Road.

“We must not think about Serie A now,” stressed Inzaghi.

“It’s not easy and perhaps it would have been better to play this game at the end of the Serie A campaign. There is no problem anyway. I played in other finals like this, as a coach and as a player. Sometimes I played after the end of the league, I’ve always done it and I’ll continue to do so.

“Every Final is important, we need pace and determination, details will make the difference.

“We’ve met Juventus three times this season, the last time in April. All games were different, I think it will be an open game tomorrow with a lot of quality. We’ll need to have the right approach and make as fewer mistakes as possible. We need the heart. Tomorrow’s game is the 50^th of the season. We’ve always given our best.”

Inzaghi will return to Rome, where he has spent more than two decades as a striker and coach of Lazio.

“It will be special [to play here]. I spent 21 years here. It will be thrilling, I’ll see many people who took care of me when I was in Rome. Now I am proud to be the coach of this big club. We have two more trophies remaining, we have self-confidence and we respect our opponents.

“We need the right approach and we need to be hangry. The last time we saw a cup we wanted to win it so badly. Inter haven’t won the Coppa Italia for more than 10 years.

“We’ve always felt the support of fans, at home and away. Tomorrow it’s an important game and the team and I know that we won’t lack support from our fans.”

Will Alessandro Bastoni be available for the match?

“The whole team is available, except for Matias Vecino who had a problem yesterday. He will be on the sidelines for three or four days, nothing serious, but he won’t be available tomorrow. Bastoni is back, but I need to make my assessments. I still have a few doubts, as a coach I always have. We have a light training session tomorrow morning and then I’ll choose the line-up.

“Hakan Calhanoglu has had a great season, he changed club in the summer, but he has quality and quantity. He has made one last step forward this season. He is a complete midfielder who has done well and will continue to do well.”