Inter’s Javier Zanetti opened up about a ‘moment of difficulty’, the turning point after losing to Manchester City in the Champions League final and how they reacted to the Romelu Lukaku situation.
The Nerazzurri crowned off an impressive 2023-24 season with their 20th Scudetto, an achievement that earns them the right to wear the second star on their shirts. Despite their frustrating European exit to Atletico Madrid, it was still a historic and memorable season for the club.
Simone Inzaghi and Inter are now building towards the new campaign, where they’ll have an incredibly busy schedule due to their commitments in Serie A, the Coppa Italia, the Supercoppa Italiana, the Champions League and the revamped Club World Cup.
Zanetti on last 12 months at Inter
Speaking to DAZN via TMW, Zanetti first discussed what he’s been left with since Inter’s Scudetto win.
“Above all the happiness of the fans and then the path taken, from the beginning to when we won the Scudetto.
“Simone, the players and the staff did a great job. The team are strong, but that needed to be demonstrated on the pitch. And with great personality they showed that they were the strongest.”
He was asked if Inzaghi was ever at risk of being sacked.
“Not on our part, but there was a moment of difficulty. Not just for the coach, but for all of us who work at Inter. The results weren’t arriving, especially in the league.”
Zanetti reflected on the painful Champions League final loss to Manchester City last season.
“The fact we reached the final was already a great achievement. Everyone thought that Manchester City would win easily, but then seeing how it unfolded…
“The regret remains, we could’ve won, but we came away from that match with the awareness that we were a great team that could fight for important goals.”
He spoke about the impact of Inzaghi at Inter.
“A lot, he brought his ideas. The team played well, had fun, because he gave serenity, calm and awareness of being a strong team.
“He also works hard on the sidelines, he cares, the guys followed him in everything, and you could see the attitude in every game.”
The Inter vice president touched on Hakan Calhanoglu’s new role.
“He accepted this challenge, the coach gave him a lot of trust and he felt like a great protagonist. He was important not only in the defensive phase, but also in attack.”
He reflected on the deal for Marcus Thuram.
“Piero (Ausilio, ed.) and Baccin, who have followed him for a long time, were good. He had a knee injury, we waited for him because we had great faith in him.
“When you arrive in a league like ours it’s not easy to adapt, he did it right away. He found this feeling with Lautaro right from the start and it was decisive.”
Finally, Zanetti looked back at last summer’s drama with Lukaku.
“No one disputes Lukaku’s skill, he behaved very well with us. We won a Scudetto with Antonio (Conte, ed.) and he was decisive. Then he chose not to stay, we took note of it.
“No one expected it due to the timing. If he had said it before, our strategy would’ve been different. For us too, it was a great challenge to find an alternative. A very important human group was created.”