2024-03-01 05:10:22
A specialist who must be among the elite.
İdman.biz presents an article with a link to footballhd.ru.
While discussing contenders for Manchester City’s Champions League throne, Jamie Carragher at one point acknowledged Inter’s claims before returning to his original argument that Arsenal were the only team capable of stopping Pep Guardiola’s men winning a second title in a row. The Nerazzurri were underrated last season and it seems the same is happening this time around – at least in some media. However, the incredible work done by Simone Inzaghi will not go unnoticed in the game.
Interestingly, Inzaghi’s name has only just begun to be discussed in the heated debate over Xavi’s potential successor at Barcelona. It is clear that Simone is very happy at the San Siro and has been rightly rewarded with a new and improved contract after Istanbul, which ties him to Inter until 2025. However, great coaches are always linked to top clubs, regardless of their contract situation at the time. Interestingly, Inzaghi is not one of them. Or was not on these lists before.
Liverpool are currently looking for a new manager following Jurgen Klopp’s shock decision to resign next summer, while Thomas Tuchel and Erik ten Hag are currently under enormous pressure at Bayern Munich and Manchester United respectively. The first one could no longer stand it, the second one is still in question. Amidst all the speculation about who could be the next man to take over the top spot at these big clubs, Inzaghi has never been mentioned before. I wonder why?
Some will point to the fact that less than a year ago Inzaghi was under intense pressure at Inter and that there were calls for his sacking after a dip in Serie A form threatened the team’s hopes of finishing in the top four. However, Nerazzurri chief executive Giuseppe Marotta insisted the club had “never for a second thought about changing the coach”.
The reason for this was the way Inzaghi stabilized the situation at the San Siro after a turbulent summer in 2021, which saw Antonio Conte, Achraf Hakimi and Romelu Lukaku leave the club. Conte left as the Black and Blues staged a sale of important players, which was necessary due to the financial difficulties Inter’s owners, Suning Group, have faced as a result of the pandemic.
Under the circumstances, the decision to sell the players did not come as a big surprise. But no one could have foreseen the heart problems that forced key midfielder Christian Eriksen to take time out, or star striker Lukaku’s shock decision to push for a move to Chelsea.
Inzaghi intended to build his team around the latter, whom he even contacted ahead of his appointment to discuss how he intended to get the best out of the Belgian. As a result, after a summer of failures, Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti even warned fans to prepare for a “difficult and challenging campaign.”
“It must be said that this is fair for everyone,” the club legend told Sky Sport Italia at the time. “But it must also be said that we will be competitive because Inzaghi is already doing well.” However, the newly appointed coach exceeded all expectations.
Missing the Scudetto was a bitter blow: Inter won 8 of the final 9 matches of the championship, but lost the title race to neighbors Milan due to a catastrophic defeat by Bologna. However, Inzaghi led the Nerazzurri to the Coppa Italia trophy and took the Black and Blues to the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in a decade. Last season’s European campaign went even better, with Simone getting the better of Xavi twice and Inter picking up 4 points against Barcelona.
Despite domestic difficulties, Inzaghi continued to impress in the continental tournament after the winter break. Inter knocked out Porto and Benfica before beating Milan home and away before securing a Champions League decider against mighty Manchester City. It is noteworthy that the 0:1 defeat in Istanbul remains the only one for Inzaghi as head coach of Inter in the finals. He won both Coppa Italia deciders he played in since arriving at the San Siro, as well as all 3 Italian Super Cup deciders.
This single defeat seemed to strengthen Inzaghi’s position not only among employers, but also among players. Indeed, the nature of Inter’s performances only strengthened the team’s faith in their coach and what Lautaro Martinez called “his idea of football.” “We press very high and this allows us to win the ball quickly, create scoring opportunities and hold the opposition,” the striker told Sky Sport Italia.
Since Inzaghi’s arrival, Martinez has taken his game to a whole new level and is currently playing the best football of his career. And he’s not the only one. Francesco Acerbi fully justified Simone’s decision to sign him from their former club Lazio, Federico Dimarco has developed into one of the best full-backs in world football, and Hakan Calhanoglu has been a revelation in his new role as a deep-lying playmaker.
All three praise the coach for their excellent form. “It’s very important how he talks to the players and how he behaves with us,” Calhanoglu explained the good atmosphere in the team. “He always wants to win and gets angry when we slow down. But once the training is over, you see that he has a big heart. He becomes very calm and we can talk to him about anything.”
Marotta, meanwhile, says Inter have never been more confident since his own arrival at the club because Inzaghi inspired everyone around him with the way he handled the criticism and pressure he endured last season. This has helped him build a strong team and a winning mentality that has kept the Nerazzurri 12 points clear of Juventus in the Serie A title race.
After the draw for the round of 16 of the Champions League, Diego Simeone admitted that Atletico were paired with an extraordinary team led by an excellent coach. Inter have proven that they deserve great respect. Of course, Simeone will not underestimate Inzaghi ahead of the return leg of the Champions League. And no one should. Based on materials from Goal
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