Inzaghi: "Aggression and determination needed" | OneFootball

Inter are preparing to face AC Milan on matchday 23 of the 2024/25 Serie A season. On the eve of the game, Coach Simone Inzaghi had the following to say in his pre-match press conference:

The Derby is a different, special match. How do you manage the mental aspect? "We know what it represents; it's a highly anticipated game full of dangers. AC Milan possess quality, and a great Inter performance full of aggression and determination will be needed because it’s an important match for us."

What kind of game will it be tactically? "We know the value of the team we're facing. The first two derbies this season didn't go well for us. In the first one, AC Milan played well, and, in the second, we were in control but needed to be better in the key moments and in terms of managing the game. We saw how it ended. We’ll need to be better in decisive moments."

How is Calhanoglu? "Calhanoglu and Acerbi trained in full with the team for the first time yesterday. On Thursday, they trained in part. They’re doing better and are available to help us. Calha has had a few more problems this campaign compared to previous seasons, and we’re trying to get him back as quickly as possible. In the past, he’s only missed one or two games at most, which hasn’t slowed him down, and we know how important he is for us."

Will today’s session be decisive for him? "He did some good work yesterday, but I’ll need to assess things. As of now, it’s more likely that he won’t start, but I’ll have to carefully evaluate both him and the other players who came off on Wednesday. We’ve played 16 matches in two months, and we did well to finish in the top eight in the Champions League. We also have to play our rescheduled match against Fiorentina on a date we weren't expecting, but we’ll adapt, fully aware that we’ll have to keep pushing this month, too."

What do you want to see tomorrow? "The consistency we've had since August. I can only praise the players; we've earned 50 points in the league and finished in the top four in the Champions League. The team deserve nothing but praise, but now it's going to get even more complicated, so we need to maintain the consistency we’ve had."

What went wrong in the previous derbies? "In the first one, AC Milan deserved to win; we didn’t play well. In the second, we needed to manage the key moments better. These things happen; that's football for you. However, you have to be stronger and overcome them."

Did you expect the Fiorentina match to be rescheduled on a different date? "I was told that an agreement was reached on the first available date, which turned out to be this one. We’ll adapt and play as we always have. I thought that after what we’d done, I'd be able to work better with the team in February, but with the rearranged fixture against Fiorentina and our Coppa Italia match, we won’t be able to give the players the proper rest and time they need. We were expecting a schedule that wasn’t so congested. After 16 matches in two months, I would have given the players a couple of days off, but that’s not possible now. They’ll have to keep training, and they know that. Having finished in the top eight of the Champions League, we thought we’d be able to train more calmly and effectively, but that won’t be the case."

Do you want revenge? "I'm more interested in analysing what we did well on the pitch and where we went wrong. A match is made up of many moments and incidents, and we need to be good at reacting in the right way. Previous encounters aren't there on the pitch; we need to focus on doing even better."

Aside from concerns about the schedule, are there also concerns about the officiating? "Absolutely not. I’ve always said that just as we, as coaches and players, can make mistakes, referees can make mistakes, too. I’m saying this because I’ve reviewed the game with the team, and there was the incident with the foul on Asllani that got AC Milan back into it, but that’s just one episode. Certain incidents can go in your favour or against you, and it’s up to the team to react well."

Napoli will play after you; how important is this derby in terms of the title race? "Right now, Napoli, Inter and Atalanta have gained a bit of an advantage and are the three favourites, but I wouldn’t forget about the others, who could string together a series of wins and get back into the race. Everyone needs to focus on their own team; I’m concentrating on mine. There’s a very important game tomorrow, and we’ll do our best to prepare for it in this day and a half."

Mkhitaryan said after the last match that you are unplayable. In what way? "We interpreted Wednesday's match well from the very start. Then, we had a one-man advantage, but the team had already started the game in the best way possible. We need to build on these kinds of performances. If we do this like we have previously done both this campaign and last season, we will have the consistency needed to achieve certain goals."

You’re aiming to achieve everything possible. How good have you been in terms of staying focused? "We’ve already talked about the consistency we've had in recent months. We can't let up until the end if we want to compete in all competitions with the number of games we're playing. We’ll need to be very, very good."

Do you expect any more transfer activity? "I haven’t spoken about the market. Today, I’ll meet with the President, Ausilio and Baccin, who are always right behind us. Yesterday, I spent the whole day watching AC Milan with the team; we reviewed the Supercoppa match, looking at both the negative and positive aspects. I haven’t thought about the market. Two young and talented players have left us, but they needed to play more regularly. Right now, although some players are returning from injury, we have some difficulties in terms of numbers, so we'll make some moves in the market."

How strong is the desire for revenge? "We know the importance of this match; previous encounters aren't there on the pitch. We'll try to give our all."