Inter Coach Simone Inzaghi: “Must Forget Supercoppa Win & Focus On Important Serie A Title Clash Against Atalanta” | OneFootball

Inter head coach Simone Inzgahi is intent on having his team shift their focus from their Supercoppa Italiana win over Juventus to tomorrow’s Serie A clash with Atalanta.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of tomorrow’s match, as reported by FCInterNews, the 40-year-old emphasized the importance of getting back into concentrating on Serie A and the Scudetto race with a massive head-to-head matchup with La Dei.

The Nerazzurri enjoyed a successful return to the Serie A campaign from the winter break with a victory over Lazio before beating the Bianconeri in the Supercoppa with a last-gasp winner from Alexis Sanchez to lift their first piece of silverware for the campaign.

Now, they must get right back into it and search for another three points against a direct rival as they travel to Bergamo to face La Dei, a match which will present them with an opportunity to take a big step towards the title but also a potential slip-up.

Of the victory in the Supercoppa he stated that “We deservedly won against an opponent who played well. We went behind but we remained calm.”

“I told the guys that I wanted them to play with composure and enjoy themselves, and they did,” he added. “It was a great experience, winning the first trophy for the seasons in front of our fans was beautiful.”

“But it’s already in the past now,” he emphasized, “we know that we have to calm ourselves from the celebrations tomorrow because it will be a tricky game.”

Of tomorrow’s opposition he stated that “Gasperini and Atalanta have been doing well for some years. Over the years football has evolved. Occupation of space is increasingly important.”

“Tomorrow will be a physical match,” he continued, “it will be played at a high tempo and as breathtaking as in our first match against them. I think and hope that it will be the same tomorrow.”

Asked whether he expects tomorrow’s match to have Scudetto implications, Inzaghi replied “Absolutely, yes, because they are fourth in the table, and in recent seasons Atalanta have always finished around the top.”

“They continue to improve,” he emphasized.

“As far as Sanchez is concerned, he was decisive,” he said of the Nerazzurri’s Supercoppa hero, “he is a great player and I’m happy to coach him like I am with everyone else.”

“He won us the Super Cup,” the coach continued of Sanchez, “he  combined with Correa, then Dimarco, Darmian brings it down and Sanchez scores, and Vidal was also decisive after coming on.”

He explained that “Today I will evaluate how those who played 120 minutes are doing, and I must also consider the opponent we are going to face.”

Continuing about Sanchez, he stated that “In the last few games he had already been doing very well. He’s a player with great qualities, a positive guy who always wants to improve.”

“He trains with great enthusiasm,” Inzaghi said of the 33-year-old. “I’m very happy for him, I don’t think he needed the goal the other night to prove himself though, he’s been a great resource to call upon for a few months now.”

On transfer links to Juventus forward Paulo Dybala, the coach stated that “I’ve heard and read about them, but I don’t like talking about players at other teams.”

“I’m talking about my own players and I’m proud and very happy to coach them,” he said, “from the first names on the team sheet to Satriano who will go on loan to gain experience, everyone has made themselves available to me.”

On what the Nerazzurri have gained that has made them more clinical in big head-to-head matches, Inzaghi stated “I think awareness of what it takes.”

“I analyzed the first leg against Atalanta, we played well from the beginning of the season, but some mistakes cause us to drop some points.”

“Having the results catch up with the performances has helped us, and now we’re gaining momentum,” he added. “I think the proof of this is the Supercoppa match because the substitutes contributed in a very important way.”

For tomorrow’s match with Atalanta Inzaghi predicted that “It will be a physical match, duels will decide a lot. Against certain teams you have to win one-on-one duels, always remain calm, when you have to play and when you have to suffer.”

“We have to put our win on Wednesday behind us and look forward to tomorrow night because it will be a very important match for our season,” he emphasized.

Asked what the secret to his record in finals is (four in five between Lazio and Inter) Inzaghi answered “Having players like I had at Lazio and now at Inter.”

“The only thing I asked from my players is that I wanted to see them play with great joy in our stadium at the end of the game,” he went on.

“We knew we needed something more and guys did very well, it was not easy to go behind and then turn it around,” he added.

Turning to President Steven Zhang, he stated that “We are always in contact with the President, and I am fortunate to have Marotta, Ausilio and Baccin working 24 hours a day.”

He added that “We know that we can always improve, football is constantly evolving and those close to us in the table are always working to get better and catch up, for which we will be ready to respond.”

On the possibility of departures for midfielder Stefano Sensi and Matias Vecino, the coach stated that “They had less playing time, but I talked to both of them and I would always keep them in the team because they are quality players.”

“I remember Sensi playing against Genoa from the start, and he was decisive,” he added. “Vecino in the first match against Atalanta entered 35 minutes from the end and he did very well,” he continued.

He made clear that “They aren’t playing as much, but if they stay they will find a place in the team. And if their desire is to play more, we’ll see what happens, but the club knows what I think of them: they’re great here at Inter. ”

Inzgahi predicted that tomorrow’s clash with Atalanta should be “A great match to watch. The best and third-best attacks in the league will face each other, two high-quality teams playing quality, intense football.”

“It will be a beautiful match,” he added, “difficult especially away to their stadium, but we are looking forward to it and have had time to prepare for it in the best way.”