Simone Inzaghi hails Inter for having ‘the perfect approach’ to the Supercoppa Italiana against Milan, explaining the key ingredients for winning a one-off final.
The Nerazzurri surged into a 2-0 lead within 20 minutes in Riyadh thanks to goals from Federico Dimarco and Edin Dzeko, then Lautaro Martinez turned Fikayo Tomori for the final 3-0 result, but Andre Onana was rarely tested.
“The lads had the perfect approach, we were always sharp and solid. Our first target of the season was to get through to the Champions League knockouts and the second was this trophy, so it is so pleasing for a coach to see this,” the coach told Sport Mediaset.
Will this therefore propel Inter forward in the Scudetto race to catch up with Milan, Juventus and leaders Napoli too?
“We need to enjoy this, as winning in a Final against Milan this way is just wonderful.”
Inzaghi has never lost a Supercoppa clash, winning all four with Inter and Lazio, meaning he is the joint most successful coach in the history of the competition along with Fabio Capello and Marcello Lippi.
“Clearly it is very pleasing to have won the trophy against a quality opponent. It’s right that we celebrate tonight, then from tomorrow we can start thinking about the next games.
“We thank the club, our families and those lads who helped to get us here by winning the Coppa Italia last season. We are now getting accustomed to nights like this, there was a bit of extra spice because it was rare for a derby to also be a final, Inter had lost twice in the last 70 years. I told the team we had to turn that trends around.
“I am super proud of the lads and my staff. We’ve achieved incredible things and will continue to do so in future.”
It’s not just the Supercoppa, but also the Coppa Italia where Inzaghi has tended to give his best rather than in longer tournaments.
“We remained concentrated, aggressive, determined, all ingredients you need in a final. We didn’t consider previous games, we just came here and gave our all.”