Inter legend Javier Zanetti hopes they will be back in the Champions League Final soon, noting Simone Inzaghi and Lautaro Martinez bring a sense of ‘stability’ to the project, something Romelu Lukaku did not.
The Nerazzurri had not been up for the trophy since winning the Treble under Jose Mourinho in 2010, but gave Manchester City a very tough game in Istanbul, decided only by a single goal.
They have started the new season strong too, winning all three Serie A matches and sitting joint top of the table with rivals Milan.
“We are happy, because although strong players have left that we will always thank, we brought in new players who are eager to get things done and do important things at this club,” the vice-president told Spanish newspaper Marca.
“Our start to this season shows that Inter are still a competitive team. It will be difficult to get back into the Champions League, but we are certainly eager to try our best. Anything is possible in football, but first let us get through the group and then we’ll see.
“The most important thing is that Inter have regained that respect and are considered competitive. Repeating the Final is always tough, but we can certainly try.”
Although he was criticised for much of last term, Inzaghi retained the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana, reaching the Champions League Final to earn a new contract.
“This means stability and confirms that Inzaghi is doing a great job. He showed great calm and character to continue having faith in what he was doing and we rewarded that with the new contract he deserves.”
Lautaro Martinez is also becoming increasingly embedded in the Inter culture and was named captain after the departure of Marcelo Brozovic and Samir Handanovic.
“I went to find Lautaro and so it makes me very happy to see him become captain of Inter, feeling his identity so wrapped up in the club. Lautaro represents everything that a club like Inter means. He is a striker who improves year on year and I hope his future will bring us many more important moments,” noted Zanetti.
“I believe when you are in a big club like Inter, it’s natural you have great players and equally natural that other big clubs want to sign them. But there are many factors that can push a player to decide if he stays or goes. I too had opportunities to go elsewhere in my playing career, but I thought about how I felt at Inter and the values of the people here.”
It seems that was not a thought process taken on by Lukaku, who shocked Inter by engaging in talks with their arch rivals Juventus, eventually joining Roma on loan from Chelsea.
“We wanted Lukaku to stay with us, but then things happened that we weren’t expecting and we decided to leave the negotiations. Lukaku is part of our past now and as a club we must look to the future.”