Inter coach Simone Inzghi admits he had planned to introduce Federico Dimarco in the second half against Fiorentina, but Vincenzo Italiano’s substitutions convinced him to leave the Italy international on the bench.
The Nerazzurri secured a 1-0 win at the Stadio Franchi in Florence, which allowed them to return to the top of the Serie A table with a one-point lead over Juventus and a game in hand.
Carlos Augusto started as a left wing-back and played the whole game, leaving Dimarco on the bench. Inzaghi explained his decision during a post-match press conference attended by Football Italia.
“I made assessments. Carlos Augusto started, and I wanted to introduce Dimarco at some point, but Fiorentina continued putting in physical players, and I knew the final minutes would be intense,” explained the Nerazzurri boss.
“Dimarco had played two Finals, so I made this decision.”
Dimarco, 26, had started both Supercoppa games against Lazio and Napoli in Riyadh last week.
The Nerazzurri may be back at the top of the Serie A table, but Inzaghi feels the job is not done yet.
“It was an important game on a difficult field,” he continued.
“The first half was excellent and I believe we had to score another goal. We kept Fiorentina in the game, we didn’t double the lead and we didn’t have enough quality in the final pass. It was a crucial game, but our journey must continue. We won 17 games out of 21 and we know the remaining matches will be as difficult as this one.”
Inter’s next game is against Juventus at San Siro on February 4. Click here for Inzaghi’s post-match interview with DAZN.