Inter defender Milan Skriniar claims the Nerazzurri ‘must not think about the past’ and insists their target is to win the Scudetto.
Inter won the title for the first time in 11 years in 2020-21, but their coach Antonio Conte left after the end of the season due to disagreements over the club’s transfer strategies.
Simone Inzaghi has replaced the former Juventus and Chelsea coach, signing a two-year deal at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, but that’s not the only change in Milan’s black and blue half as Achraf Hakimi was sold to PSG for €71m to keep the books balanced.
“We are the champions of Italy, now the others have to chase us,” Skriniar said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Skriniar: "Siamo noi i campioni. Adesso sono gli altri a doverci inseguire" #Inter https://t.co/4OQLxvaML4
— La Gazzetta dello Sport (@Gazzetta_it) July 21, 2021
“We are sorry for Hakimi, he is a top player and we’ll miss him. The club and the coach must decide how to replace him, but we have players who are up to the task and we can have a great season also without him. We must not focus on the transfer market but work on the pitch instead for Inter’s good.
“It feels great to be champions of Italy,” the former Sampdoria defender continued.
“We deserved it and seeing the Scudetto on our shirts give us motivation for the future.
“Conte surprised me, we were like a family and when you win, you always wish to continue together to reach new targets.
“However, the coach made his choice and it was natural to greet him on social media, for what we did together. But now, we must not think of the past and focus on the future.
“Inzaghi is proving to be a prepared coach, we want to achieve satisfactory results with him and his staff.”
Do Inter still aim to win the Scudetto?
“Of course, we are champions of Italy and we can’t aim for less. We’ll work to repeat ourselves, we know it won’t be easy. We aim to win every game to prove we are still the best.”
How does he feel playing with Hakan Calhanoglu, an Inter opponent in the Milan derbies in the last few seasons?
“He is a new signing and it doesn’t matter that he played for Milan. We are happy to have him with us. He is technically very strong and excellent on set pieces.”
His teammates Nicolò Barella and Alessandro Bastoni won the Euros with Italy, while Christian Eriksen’s health scare shocked the world of football as the Inter playmaker collapsed on the pitch after suffering a cardiac arrest during Denmark v Finland.
“I watched it on TV and I was so scared,” Skriniar admitted.
“I felt unwell until we were reassured on the team’s Whatsapp chat. Chris is a great guy, a champion, and we are waiting for him on the pitch, but the most important thing is that he feels well now.
“I’m happy for Nico and Basto, who won the Euros after the Serie A title. They’ll have extra motivation to help us. I have a great understanding with Bastoni and De Vrij, we did really well last season.”