Simone Inzaghi has conducted his obligatory pre-match press conference duties as Inter prepare to face Benfica in the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night.
The Nerazzurri have found themselves in tricky waters over recent weeks, having gone six consecutive matches across all competitions without a win.
Now more than ever, Inzaghi is thought to be in particular danger of losing his job, with a list of potential candidates from across Europe to replace him in the summer making headlines in recent weeks.
Still, Inter are in the last eight of the Champions League and Inzaghi believes Inter will have to be at their best if they are to overcome Benfica at the Estadio da Luz.
Speaking on Monday evening, Inzaghi told the media: “Tomorrow we know it won’t be easy against a strong, quality opponent, but we know that together – and I think this is the word to use in the next two months – we can come away satisfied.
“The goal was to still be in all competitions in April. We are lacking in the league, but we have the chance to fight back.
“Benfica are an excellent team. Like Porto, they are dominating their league. It will be a match where there will be moments to be offensive and others defensive. Benfica will come at you, not always, but you have to play a game with a good head and heart.
“They are an excellent team. They are on an excellent journey in the Champions League, the same in the league. They have quality, they have technical players, they occupy spaces very well, in possession and out of possession.
“They are a team that runs a lot, a team that has lost two games since the beginning of the year, the last one on Friday against Porto. We will have to be good at playing our own game.”
Inzaghi was asked by journalists to give his assessment of Inter’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Salernitana in Serie A on Friday evening.
He responded: “Last year we won 5-0 and maybe we didn’t play as well as that on Friday. In the first half alone we had four shots on goal and scored three, this time we had more than twenty and scored one. We know where we were wrong, there are always criticisms.”
The Nerazzurri will have to do without first-teamers Hakan Calhanoglu and Milan Skriniar on the night as they both continue to recover from their respective injuries.
Speaking about the absences, Inzaghi added: “They are two very important players, clearly there will also be some Benfica absences. I would have liked to play it with the two full teams.
“Calhanoglu, I hope I can have him with us for Monza. For Skriniar, maybe it will take a little while more.”