Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi answered journalists’ questions at a press conference on Monday, with a view to the 2024-2025 Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain at the Allianz Arena on May 31 (CET). The Italian coach underlined the qualities of both teams in a highly anticipated match that could be decided by “details”.
Inzaghi “The hope is to have all the players available.”
How do you feel about this 2nd final in 3 years? Do you have a slogan?
It’s been 2 years since the last final and these are great emotions. We’ve done some great things, but there’s still one more step to take to fulfill the dream. We’re going to prepare as well as we can. The championship ended this weekend. The players and I are suffering because we didn’t win. You have to congratulate Napoli.
You have to know how to lose and how to win. Something was missing. But today, it would be unfair to diminish the work done by the team just a few days before such an important match. I’d like to ask you to talk only about the final today.
What are the differences between the final against City two years ago and this one?
The emotions haven’t fully set in yet. The championship has just finished and the week is starting. The hope is to have all the players available. There’s confidence. Pavard and Zalewski weren’t available at Como, but we’re getting close. We’re focused on the final, we know the type of opponent we’re up against and we want to do it in the best possible way.
Inzaghi « Nous avons qu’il y aura encore des moments pour souffrir. »
Il faudra encore un grand cœur sur le terrain, comme en demi-finale ?
Le cœur sera déterminant. Cette équipe a montré ces dernières années qu’elle le met toujours sur le terrain. Je suis fier d’être l’entraîneur d’un tel groupe. Nous allons affronter un grand adversaire. Comme c’était le cas pour le Bayern et le FC Barcelone. Nous avons qu’il y aura encore des moments pour souffrir.
Il faudra être une vraie équipe, une équipe organisée. Il faudra savoir gérer ces moments. Ce sera contre une équipe qui a aussi perdu une finale il y a quelques années. Nous faisons partie des rares équipes qui font 2 finales en peu d’années.
Inzaghi “we know we’ll need a great Inter to win.”
Is it easier to coach a team like PSG, who have won domestic titles, or Inter, who have everything to win, this Saturday?
As I said before, to make history, even if we know that playing 2 finals in 3 years has never happened, we have to win the match. To do that, we’re up against a team we respect enormously, like Bayern and Barça. They’re a team with the same objective as us, and we want to play a great final.
Is it harder to prepare for a match against PSG than Bayern or Barça? Do they know how to do everything?
They’re a top team, with top individuals. They’ve got some very strong players with a lot of quality. They’ve got a coach who’s a great motivator, who’s got strong playing principles and who’s already won the Champions League. We’re going to get ready, we know we’ll need a great Inter to win.
Inzaghi “sometimes it’s good to listen.”
Can rumours of your departure make you lose concentration?
I can only say that my club, fortunately, knows me very well. You, a little less so. There have always been rumours, even when I was at Inter. But this is not the time to be thinking about that. I have an excellent relationship with the management.
We’ll talk after the final, as we do every year. Our sole objective is the good of Inter. If all the components are there, we’ll move forward in harmony, as we do every year. You do your job, but today it would be strange to talk about something that doesn’t exist.
How do you keep the pressure under control? Will you sleep well on Friday?
Friday night won’t be like any other night. Before a final, it’s the match that every coach and player wants to play. As a player, I’ve only been to the quarter-finals. This is my second as a coach, and I’m hoping for a great match.
As for criticism, praise and pressure, they’re all part of the game. We’re all used to it and we have to keep working without listening too much. Even if, sometimes, it’s good to listen. Especially when it comes from competent critics who don’t do it because they have to, but for other reasons.
Inzaghi “It’s a complete team, with great variety.”
Is the Champions League worth more as a player or a coach?
I hope it will be possible to choose afterwards (laughs). I hope I can ask my brother Filippo!
What difference do you expect PSG to make to Bayern and Barça?
They’re all great teams, with their own principles. Like Inter Milan. That was also the case with Arsenal and Manchester City in the league phase. Paris has a very strong team, both technically and physically.
It’s a complete team, with great variety. But they’ll also have to watch out for Inter, who deserve to be there. We both know what we’ve done this season. All the details will count.
Inzaghi “We’ll need running, aggression and determination. The team has proved it has these qualities.”
Can Lautaro Martinez be at 100%?
He’s fine, he was available against Como. He’ll have a normal week. The match went well at the weekend, so I decided not to bring him in.
Manchester City were favourites in Istanbul, but the difference wasn’t seen on the pitch. PSG still seem to be the favourites, but how can they upset the odds?
We know the teams’ strengths. Our state of mind will help. When you play in a final, you know it’s going to be a great opponent. That was the case with City, and it will be the case with PSG. It was also the case with Bayern and Barça. We’ll need running, aggression and determination. The team has proved that it has these qualities.
Inzaghi “We have a great match ahead of us against a very great opponent.”
How do you make it clear that the final is totally different from the rest of the season?
I can’t reproach these guys for the last 4 years. They’ve been extraordinary. They’re fantastic. I particularly like their sense of belonging to the club. I love what I see, the joy in the victories, the tears in the defeats.
Friday was a difficult day. But we don’t look back, we look forward. We talked at the start, and I can see them. We’ve got a big game ahead of us against a very big opponent. This group always gives me a thrill, and it always will.
Inzaghi “We have elements that are good for Inter, but we know we’ll be facing a great opponent.”
PSG have changed almost entirely since their last final, and you have almost the same squad. Is that a plus in terms of motivation?
Of course, it’s a great resource to have already played in the final. But we also know that there are players opposite us who have won major trophies, and a coach who has won the Champions League. We have elements that are good for Inter, but we know we’ll be up against a great opponent.
What difference does it make to be less of an outsider than last time?
It wasn’t easy to get to the final last time, as it was this season. There were Barça and Bayern too. But that’s the past. The future is PSG. We’ll have to be brave and arrive with the right motivation and concentration.
