Simone Inzaghi reveals the work that went into Federico Dimarco’s goal in the 4-0 win over Atalanta, gives an injury update on Davide Frattesi and is so proud to see Inter ‘retain principles’ during squad rotation.
It means Inter scored at least four goals in four consecutive Serie A matches, something this club had only achieved once before in 1929-30.
Charles De Ketelaere thought he had given Atalanta the lead, only for it to be disallowed for an Aleksei Miranchuk handball, while VAR later again came to their aid for the Hans Hateboer handling offence.
“The first 10-15 minutes Atalanta pressed us very high, so we had to sort ourselves out. The start wasn’t our usual approach, but then we scored, hit the bar and came out for the second half with ferocity,” Inzaghi told DAZN.
“These are great signs for our journey, which must continue without pauses.”
Matteo Darmian, Lautaro Martinez, Dimarco and Davide Frattesi completed the rout at San Siro, though Frattesi limped off with a muscular problem straight after that goal.
“Frattesi was extraordinary in Lecce, but 15 minutes from the end he had a bit of cramp. He is one of the most penalised by the choices, as he is in great shape, it would be a real pity if he had to stop now.”
Curiously, after Dimarco turned in the rebound from the Lautaro Martinez saved penalty, the wing-back ran over to tell Inzaghi it was ‘his’ goal. Why?
“While we were waiting for the VAR, I told Dimarco to be ready to run into the box, as that is where we needed the wing-backs. Federico did really well to wait for the right moment and not encroach, he timed it perfectly.
“In January, the Verona player got to the rebound first on the penalty save, so we have been working on that. The details are where you must always focus on improvements.”
Inter are now 12 points clear at the top of the Serie A table, but Inzaghi is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.
“There’s no denying it, the team plays well and has done for two and a half years. We won five trophies, played in the Champions League Final and have a good advantage at the top, but we know that in January we were head-to-head with Juventus. We opened up the gap in a month and it can be lost again in the same time period.”
Squad rotation seems to make little difference to this Nerazzurri side, who have now won all 11 of their competitive games played in 2024.
“I have a team that changes the personnel and retains its principles, that is the greatest satisfaction. We can change seven or eight players, it is always a pleasure to see who is out there, and it makes my life difficult choosing a starting XI. I am fortunate to have these marvellous lads who give me everything whether they play 10 minutes or 90.”
There were reports this week of interest in Inzaghi from several Premier League clubs and even Barcelona, but Inter director Beppe Marotta assured they were happy continuing together.
“I am very happy here, with the club, these fans and the lads, so there is no point talking about it right now,” agreed Inzaghi.
“We need to keep that concentration for three months, I am not interested talking about the rest and I don’t think the club is interested either. We all just want to enjoy watching Inter play like this.”
#SerieA | @Inter, #Inzaghi: "Da due anni e mezzo sto godendo, ma serve ancora concentrazione"https://t.co/dBHcCVLwBs
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) February 28, 2024