Antonio Cassano and Inter ultras have questioned Simone Inzaghi’s motivational abilities making the timing of Antonio Conte’s return to San Siro even less ideal for the Nerazzurri boss, writes Lorenzo Bettoni.
Conte will return to the Stadio Meazza tonight in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 between his Tottenham side and Milan.
“These are always wonderful emotions. I return home, Italy is my home and it is always great to be here,” Conte told Sky Sport on Monday.
“Plus to be back at San Siro after 21 months, with two marvellous seasons at Inter and what we all shared together, this does give me strong emotions.”
The former midfielder won the Scudetto in his second season at Inter in 2020-21 before leaving the club with a year remaining in his contract. His successor Inzaghi managed to lift the Supercoppa and the Coppa Italia in the following campaign but failed to retain the Serie A title.
The Nerazzurri are also unlikely to win the title in the current campaign being 15 points below leaders Napoli.
Following Monday’s draw with strugglers Sampdoria, ultras have publicly blamed Inzaghi for the first time in 18 months. “The dull draw against the second-last in the table once again proves that Mr Inzaghi is not able to motivate his players against ‘small’ teams,” they said.
“We saw a small team mentality, especially in the second half when he stuck to his system rather than playing with three strikers. We are Inter; opponents should fear us.”
Former Inter star Antonio Cassano was also critical of Inzaghi, claiming that Conte was a better motivator and suggesting the Nerazzurri would have beaten Sampdoria on Monday with a different attitude.
Conte’s return to San Siro on Tuesday night is a funny coincidence, especially now that Inzaghi’s ability as a motivator has been questioned.
Perhaps, the timing of the Italian tactician’s comeback on Italian soil is not ideal for Inzaghi, who must also deal with internal tension after the clash between Romelu Lukaku and Nicolò Barella.
Conte had to deal with a similar situation at Inter when he openly reproached Lautaro Martinez after a substitution. They solved the problem the following day by releasing a funny video on social media.
It remains to be seen how Inter’s season will continue under Inzaghi, but the Italian tactician surely needs more convincing results in Coppa Italia and Champions League to continue at the Stadio Meazza until 2024.