Bologna boss Sinisa Mihajlovic admits he wanted to beat Inter at all costs because the Nerazzurri had tried to win the game by default: ‘It made me angry.’
The former defender took his first press conference today since the beginning of the second cycle of leukaemia treatment announced at the end of March. Bologna remained unbeaten while their coach was at the Sant’Orsola hospital and beat Inter in a potentially decisive game for the title race.
The game was rescheduled in January after Bologna had been placed into quarantine by the local health authorities because of a COVID outbreak in the team. However, they had mistakenly added their line-up into the Lega Calcio system, convincing Inter to demand a win by default with several appeals, which were all rejected. Mihajlovic has now revealed why he cared about that game so much.
“I felt that too many took it for granted. Inter wanted to win it by default and this made me angry,” he said, as quoted by Tuttomercatoweb.
“I said it to my players before the game: ‘They tried to win the game off the pitch because they know that they’ll never make it on the pitch.’
“I love Inter and I have great respect for them, including for Simone Inzaghi, but I was disturbed by their attitude before the game. I couldn’t sleep at night. I didn’t want what everyone took for granted to happen.”
Who does he support in the title race?
“I hoped Napoli would win it, but between Inter and Milan, I have no preferences. I like the way Napoli play, the passion their fans have. It would have been good for Italian football to see Napoli win the title.”
“I’ve missed you, you are a necessary evil,” he told journalists, smiling.
“When you go through certain moments, you miss things you’d never imagine, like talking to you.
“From the very first moment I went to the hospital, my target was to return to normal as soon as possible. Being healthy makes you enjoy life, but being ill makes you understand its meaning. I must say this time it was more difficult.
“Because of COVID, I could see my wife for only three hours per day. The first time [in 2019], I received many visits from friends. It’s hard to be always alone. I suffered a lot. I was able to talk to my family and players thanks to technology. The team, the club, staff and doctors have always been close to me. It was terrible, but I am here and this is what counts the most.
“Seeing a serene team that takes responsibility was what I liked the most. Before that, they were a little shaky, but then they’ve become fully aware of their qualities. We always tried to create problems for every team with our playing and moral principles. It’s great to see this attitude on the pitch.”