Henrikh Mkhitaryan reflected on Inter’s upswing in form, the return of Romelu Lukaku and the dangers of tomorrow’s Champions League opponents Viktoria Plzen.
The Nerazzurri can book their spot in the knock-out stages of the competition with a win over their Czech opposition tomorrow, an impressive step forward following the team’s disappointing start to the season. Inter lost four of their opening eight Serie A matches but their recent back-to-back clashes with Barcelona fired the team up and helped them shake off their slow start.
Speaking in a press conference, Mkhitaryan first spoke about how far this Inter team can go this season.
“We want to go as far as possible, we’re still not the Inter we want to be, we can improve and we know that. We have to work harder, at all levels, there is great potential and we are not yet satisfied.”
He commented on where he thinks the team have improved this campaign.
“What we write on social media is not what we think. Before the match with Sassuolo we had won with Barcelona and even there I said it was starting a new page, we knew we could still improve game after game.
“With Sassuolo it was difficult and then with confidence we went to Camp Nou, everyone saw how much we wanted to win.
“Tomorrow is a game where we have to show what we can do, it’s the most important game of the group. We have to play a perfect game to win and go to the playoffs.”
The Armenian midfielder touched on the Nerazzurri’s ability to bounce back after conceding, something seen in the recent win over Fiorentina.
“I’ve only been at Inter for four months, I don’t know how it was before but what I can say is that we talked to each other and understood that we have to play until the end, no matter what happens, in football you play 90 minutes plus extra time.
“It also happened in Florence, after conceding a goal we didn’t give up, we put our heads down and kept playing, it was the game of life for us.
“When Dzeko controlled the ball I sprinted, thinking that even if he had given it to Barella it would have come to me anyway. I was in the right place at the right time.”
Mkhitaryan gave his thoughts on the return of Lukaku, who has been out injured for around two months now.
“He is a very important player, as is Brozovic. We miss everyone, this team is not only made up of the starters but all the players. I hope he can give us a lot, he has personality and experience, he wants to win and score goals.”
He touched on the pitfalls Inter need to avoid tomorrow.
“There are always risks, we must think about playing our game, there are no easy ones. Every match has its difficulties, tomorrow is the most important match of the round and we want to win and move on.”
The 33-year-old spoke about the growth of Kristjan Asllani.
“The coach has found the solution there in the middle, he is the one who chooses the team, we try to help each other and do the best.
“Asllani has great potential, in my opinion he is a player who wants to improve, to study, and we also try to help him. We know we need all the players, no matter who is playing we all have to help each other.”
He reflected on the Nerazzurri’s disappointing start to the season.
“All teams have ups and downs, including us. It is possible that we started at the bottom, now we are at the top and want to go even higher.
“That’s life, you play good games and bad games, we started badly, but now we are finding our game and I hope we will improve further.
“We know we don’t have any wild cards left to use and we want to win every game without making mistakes. They always happen, but we can improve.”
Finally, Mkhitaryan commented on where he thinks he’s best suited in the Inter system.
“I fit very well on the pitch, no matter where. The closer I am to the opponent’s goal the better, but playing as a centre midfielder is also good. We know what to do, we are a very good team.
“Calhanoglu or Brozo? It makes no difference, they are two perfect and good players, we understand each other very well. We’re waiting for all the injured players.”