Arrigo Sacchi feels Barcelona deserved to beat Napoli on Tuesday but is confident Inter have a ‘European mentality’ that the Partenopei lack.
Napoli lost 3-1 against Barcelona on Tuesday night, resulting in their Champions League elimination in the Round of 16.
Ex-Italy and Milan coach Sacchi believes the Catalans deserved to qualify for the quarter-finals.
“Too much Barcelona for this Napoli even with a team filled with youths without international experience, the Catalans dominated on the pitch,” the ex-Italian coach wrote in his column for La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“In the end, the stronger team that played better across the two legs qualified.
“I am so sorry for Napoli, who accomplished an extraordinary feat last season by winning the Scudetto. Calzona’s team showed defensive weaknesses because the line was not well organised. In midfield, Lobotka struggled against Xavi’s players, but what surprised me the most was the little involvement of Kvara and Osimhen, the two most awaited players,” continued Sacchi.
“It’s true that they didn’t get much service, but at the same time, they didn’t move much and they did it in the wrong way, so it was easy for opponents to stop them.
“Barcelona are not the same team as under Pep Guardiola, but they still know the principles of modern football. The Catalans proved to be superior.”
The last Serie A club left in the Champions League, Inter, will meet Atletico Madrid at the Civitas Metropolitano tonight and Sacchi hopes for a different outcome.
“Tonight against Atletico, Inter have a maturity exam after a 1-0 win at San Siro, they’ll need a big performance to eliminate Atletico Madrid and qualify for the quarter-finals,” noted Sacchi.
“They must play with a winning mentality. I am confident because the Nerazzurri are in shape, they play excellent football and have enough experience for these sorts of matches. But I’d like to warn them because I know the Atletico Madrid environment having worked at the club for a few years. They have passion, and the fans will strongly support them, which could be a problem for Inter.
“There is just one way to dismantle this danger: take the initiative away from Atletico, leave them without the ball and dominate the pitch. If an opponent dominates possession against a Spanish side, it feels like a humiliation to them and as a consequence, players on the pitch and fans in the stands lose energy.”
Inter beat Atletico 1-0 at San Siro two weeks ago and have won 13 games in a row across all competitions. Lautaro Martinez, Benjamin Pavard and Federico Dimarco will return to the starting XI against the Colchoneros tonight after resting in a 1-0 victory over Bologna on Saturday.
Inter are the runaway Serie A leaders, enjoying a 16-point lead over their city rivals Milan.