Inzaghi: Inter must raise their level against Juventus | OneFootball

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi believes his side’s away clash at Juventus comes ‘at a delicate moment of the season,’ as the Nerazzurri are urged to ‘raise’ their level in order to improve their record in head-to-heads against teams in the Serie A top five.

Inzaghi admitted that Juventus have been ‘penalised’ by injuries throughout the season, while also pointing out that they were ‘strengthened by the winter market’ and can rely on a ‘quality’ team.

The Italian manager also conceded that Inter ‘made mistakes’ in their 4-4 draw at the San Siro against the Bianconeri in October, as he still lamented not winning a match that they ‘clearly’ had in their hands.

Kenan Yildiz of Juventus celebrates scoring his team’s fourth goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Juventus at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 27, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Inzaghi: Juventus clash comes at ‘a delicate moment’ for Inter

“We all know what this match represents for our supporters and our club,” Inzaghi told reporters at a pre-match press conference, as quoted by TMW.

“It’s an important match at a delicate moment of the season. We know what we have to do. Juventus are a team strengthened by the winter market with an excellent coach whom I have a lot of respect for. We’ll need to play a great match.

“Direct confrontations matter a lot, especially at this point in the season.

“We know the schedule will have us away for these matches. We’ll have to raise our level, as so far we haven’t had important wins in head-to-heads.

“We’ve played well, apart from Milan and Fiorentina where we deservedly lost, but in the other games, we didn’t get the result.

“Juventus, as I said before, are a quality team that comes into this match on a three-match winning streak. They alternate: against PSV they were very aggressive, in the first match a bit less. They can also change in-game with their pressing.

“Certainly, in the first match [at San Siro], even though it’s been a while, we’ve reviewed and analysed it.

“We played a great first part of the game, offensively as a team, but we needed to improve defensively. We made mistakes that didn’t allow us to win a match that was clearly in our hands until the 65th minute.

“We all see the standings clearly, and we’re facing a strong team, reinforced in January and with a great coach.

“They’ve had several injuries that have penalised them. They’ve drawn more than they should have in matches they deserved to win. It will be a tough match.”

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi shouts encouragement from the touchline during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Fiorentina at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 10, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Are Inter treated as the only team that needs to win at all costs?

“Those are evaluations… I can only say that we have our ambitions, our desires, and a Scudetto on our chest that we’ll try to defend with all our strength,” Inzaghi claimed.

“We know the path we’ve taken so far in the league and Champions League: us, Napoli, and Atalanta have a few more points than the others.

“But I see that others are also winning consecutive matches. Everything will remain open until the end.”

Inter have had a full week of training for the first time in a while, and Inzaghi hopes it can have an impact.

“That’s the hope,” the coach added.

“Today is a rest day, and so far, this is the first time we’ve had the chance to work like this. We have one day more than our opponents.

“We are two teams that have played a lot; Milan, Atalanta, and we have played more than anyone else. These two weeks will give us the chance to work more effectively and refine the details that make the difference.

“Everyone is doing well. So, I will need to choose between Acerbi and De Vrij, Pavard and Bisseck, and between Bastoni and Carlos, who has played very well in the last two matches against Fiorentina.

“Dimarco is back, and Zalewski has made two excellent appearances and is integrating well. I will have to evaluate everything carefully, hoping to recover Thuram tomorrow. After that, everyone else should be available.”

Mehdi Taremi of FC Internazionale celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Italian Super Cup Final between FC Internazionale and AC Milan at Kingdom Arena on January 06, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Abdullah Ahmed/Getty Images)

Inzaghi revealed that Thuram is ‘still feeling pain’ and is ‘more likely’ to be unavailable against Juventus, which could pave the way for Mehdi Taremi’s start.

“I think Taremi had a great first part of the season,” the 48-year-old noted.

“He had a small issue before the start of the league that slowed him down. He’s always been used to being a starter, but here there’s competition with other forwards.

“He was on the up and I was very satisfied with him. Then, there was the incident in Lecce, where during the goal and penalty, he felt a problem with his adductor, and in the last 20 days, he couldn’t train at his best.

“But in the last 3-4 days, I’ve seen him recover, and he’s a positive player that I like. He’s been a starter in his national team and Porto for a long time, and this is the first time he hasn’t been. But for me, when he’s well, I’m happy with him.

“But I’m fortunate to have important players, and the best example was Arnautovic’s entrance on Monday.

“Then, Taremi also came on well and is recovering from his issue after Lecce. My desire is to get all the players, including Correa, in the best possible condition.”

Asked whether he believes Conte was speaking about him in his latest press conference.

“I’ve already answered his colleague,” Inzaghi went on.

“As I said, there will always be mistakes by everyone: referees, coaches, players. I got upset by the different treatment I see between Inter and other teams.

“When something happens to Inter, it’s talked about differently, and that’s where I felt human and got upset to defend our work. That’s all. I’m very calm; sometimes I make mistakes too because of adrenaline. For example, I was rightly booked on Monday, but I felt the match very strongly because we were coming off a badly lost match.”