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16.40 – Here we go. Fresh from contract renewal, Simone Inzaghi presents the 2024/25 season in a press conferenceIntercalled to defend the scudetto won in the last championship. Live text by TMW.
In your opinion, what will be the biggest challenge this year?
“It will be to improve, in commitment and daily work. Thinking about what has been… the boys have done an extraordinary job but we know that this year everyone is waiting for us and there will be the obligation to improve”.
After winning the second star championship, how satisfied are you with the renewal?
“I’m very happy, I thank the club, the president, all the managers. I feel at home, I feel appreciated and this is what matters most of all. We have never been far away in this month and a half since the championship ended”.
Last year you said the goal was the Scudetto, this year?
“The second star has arrived, now I think our goal will be to make the fans happy. 80 days have passed, I’ve been on vacation and it was wonderful to see so many happy Inter fans. The second star belongs to everyone, we were a single body and we will have to be next year too, we would like to repeat the journey”.
Do you have a market-related need?
“I think the club has moved well in advance. We have acquired three players so far, who were strongly wanted by me, the management and the president. They are three excellent players, now we have had this setback with Buchanan: we are already evaluating together with the management, we have to complete that role because a boy who was settling in and doing very well will be absent until Christmas. As always we will be ready, knowing that next year there will be 70 games, it will be new for everyone and we have the duty to play as many games as possible, trying to reach the end of all the objectives. Then we talk about clubs with 70 games, let’s not forget the games with their respective national teams”.
What should he do differently to make Inter even more unpredictable? Is Sanchez missing?
“I had already answered in the first question, we will have to be even more ferocious, always stay on top of things. Repeating a season like last year will not be easy, but we all know that the points of detachment that existed last year are no longer there. We start from scratch, with teams that some will declare themselves and some not, but all want to try. Let’s not forget what happened in the last two seasons with Milan and Napoli, who did not place in the top positions at the end of the championship. The boys all know it, except Lautaro and Carboni, they are all on holiday and I’m sorry because someone would have deserved to make the European Championship final”.
The other big teams have changed coaches, Inter restarts with you on the bench. Can this be an advantage or can the change awaken the others?
“The pitch will tell, time will tell. Two excellent coaches have returned to the Italian championship in Conte and Fonseca, they are two excellent technicians. The opponents are strengthening, we will have to be ready by force. From tomorrow we will have players who will arrive little by little, but when they do we have decided to give them three days of vacation more than the 21 due because they have had an intense season, many games, an intense championship, the European Championships. Now they will return, tomorrow we start, on the 18th Zielinski and Asllani will arrive, on the 24th the Italians, then gradually until August 7-8 with Lautaro and Carboni”.
Did you hear from the Italian group after a poor European Championship?
“I heard from them, they were down in spirits as is right. We didn’t do very well, but we are in good hands, because Spalletti is an excellent coach. In my opinion, the injuries to Acerbi and Berardi, and I’m also thinking of Dimarco during the game, have weighed heavily. We were disappointed, but we are in excellent hands and we have some material. If we think about the Under 19s and Under 16s, we can hope for the best. We can start again from a great disappointment”.
All the big names remained and three highly sought-after players arrived. Do you think you have your strongest Inter on your hands?
“You ask me this question every year, looking at last year’s path it was that one, even though the year before we reached the Champions League final and won two trophies. The pitch will tell.”
What should the Champions League be for you this year?
“Our goal is to go as far as possible, we know we are going to face very big teams, with very high budgets, but this must not be an alibi. We saw what we did last year, in the first year Real Madrid and Liverpool were not superior to us”.
Is there a need to change anything compared to last year?
“Absolutely. We always try to think and do, then we have three new players that we’ll see how they fit in. Last year we even changed the formation in the final minutes, changing didn’t seem right to me: this year we’ll start again with our own imprint, but ready to improve and think of something unpredictable”.
What do you expect from Taremi and Zielinski?
“We all know Zielinski, in the last five seasons he is the player who has played the most games in the five major leagues, he has great qualities. Taremi, together with Marotta, Ausilio and Baccin, we have followed him for a long time, he impressed us and we continued to follow him, he will give us a big hand. On Martinez, we could choose: we went for him because he had two excellent seasons in Genoa, in my opinion he fits well with our playing principles, he knows he is coming and will have Sommer as a starter, but he is eager and will help us”.
Carboni if he remained?
“We saw what he did at Monza, he showed it this year and he showed it at Monza. He is in the future of Inter, I await him together with our captain”.
Among the various candidates to fight with you for the championship, who do you fear the most?
“As I said before, Conte and Fonseca are two excellent coaches that I respect a lot. The two Roman teams are working well, Roma have De Rossi and Lazio have an excellent coach in Baroni, I wouldn’t underestimate Atalanta who have an excellent guide in Gasperini and have done very well in recent years”.
From Zhang to Cuadrado, Audero: a few words for those who are no longer at Inter?
“I’m pleased with the question, I’ll start with Zhang: he’s one of the people who brought me to Inter and I’ll always thank him, I think he gave everything for this new club. I thanked the five players who are no longer with us privately but I think it’s right to do so publicly too”.