Inter Coach Simone Inzaghi: “We Played A Serious Match Against Spezia, Confusion With Barella Substitution Was Because I Misspoke” | OneFootball

Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi is very happy with how his team performed in their 3-0 win over Spezia earlier this evening.

Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia after the match, the coach praised the team’s display which saw them cruise to three points to keep their perfect start going, and also gave an explanation for why some confusion emerged regarding a substitution in the second half.

Inter were good value for their 3-0 win against Spezia, restricting the Ligurian team to a total of just two shots over the ninety minutes whilst they kept Bartolmiej Dragowski’s goal under pressure throughout the match.

Inzaghi will be pleased with what he saw, as the Nerazzurri’s opening win against Lecce had not been quite so convincing, and this was a comparatively stress-free result from the team who executed the coach’s plan without much trouble.

“The performance was good,” the coach said, “We played a very serious match, we showed total concentration. Maybe in the first quarter of an hour we played within ourselves a bit, but after the goal we could have scored another.”

“We did well to score at the beginning of the second half and recover our aggression,” he continued. “Spezia came into it off the back of two games won, we prepared for them well knowing that they were capable of making our lives difficult. We did well.”

Asked if he thinks that with Romelu Lukaku back in the team Inter can aim for a hundred goals scored this season, Inzaghi replied that “Let’s say I hope so. I said at the beginning of the season that with Romelu being back we have more solutions in attack.”

“I’m lucky enough to work with four top forwards,” he went on, “I’ll have to do my best and choose between them. Today all of them did well which is always a source of satisfaction for the coach.”

Inzaghi said that “The guys prepared for it well. We did the final training session at San Siro because we hadn’t been here for two months.”

“We could feel the atmosphere,” he continued, “the stadium was sold out already by the end of August, we have the kind of relationship with the fans that we want, it powers us on to performances like tonight’s.”

Inzaghi then cleared up the misunderstanding in which the substitution board initially appeared to indicate that Nicolo Barella would be coming off for Roberto Gagliardini before it was instead Hakan Calhanoglu who left the pitch.

“At the moment of the substitution I communicated his name to the team manager, but it was clear that Calhanoglu had to come off,” he explained, “in my mind it was also established because he had asked for the change.”

“I misspoke and gave the wrong name,” the coach explained, “but then we cleared it up immediately.”

Of Barella, the coach said that “We know what he represents for Inter as well as for the national team, he’s a driving force for all of us because he is Inter to his core.”

“He’s an important player for us like many others,” Inzaghi continued, “tonight the defenders played a great match. I’m lucky enough to be able to choose between great options and I try and put out the best lineup every match.”

When it was suggested that a team with a squad like Inter’s don’t necessarily have a clear distinction between starters and backups, he said that “I agree, especially since the five substitutions rule was implemented.”

“The game is played  by sixteen players and no longer just eleven,” he noted. “Sometimes the five have to make a difference when the teams are overstretched and feel fatigued, now we can give more energy to the team. Like how in Lecce the substitutes were decisive.”

And regarding transfer links to Lazio defender Francesco Acerbi, Inzaghi said that “I have very good directors who work to assist me.”

“In recent days we’ve been talking about the transfer market but I focused on Spezia, we have one more position to fill and they are doing everything to make sure I’m happy,” he explained.