Simone Inzaghi urged Inter players to move the ball quickly to beat Empoli but had ‘mixed feelings’ before the game, thinking about a 4-4 draw against Juventus.
Inter beat Empoli 3-0 at the Stadio Castellani on Wednesday, remaining in second placement, four points below table leaders Napoli.
“The lads were excellent, but it wasn’t easy. We knew we’d face problems,” Inzaghi told DAZN.
“In the first half, we were not moving the ball quickly enough, but I told the lads Empoli would get tired. They were one man down, and we had to keep moving the ball. Like that, we would find solutions, which is what happened.
Empoli defender Saba Goglichidze was sent off before the break, then Davide Frattesi netted a brace, while Lautaro Martinez became Inter’s most prolific foreign player by scoring the third goal.
Inzaghi on what he told Inter players against Empoli and ‘mixed feelings’ after Juventus draw
The Argentinean striker has recently finished 7th at the 2024 Ballon d’Or but admitted he wasn’t happy with the result.
“We are all satisfied with Lauty. I know what scoring means to a striker, and Lauty will always be a solution to us, never a problem,” insisted Inzaghi.
“Despite a little decline in terms of goals scored, he’s put in excellent performances. He has played many games, but I wanted to keep him on the pitch because he needed this satisfaction. I am happy for him and Davide, who scored two goals. I am happy for the whole team. We must continue working; personal satisfaction comes after the team’s satisfaction.”
Summer signing Tomas Palacios made his Inter debut in the final ten minutes, replacing Stefan de Vrij.
“Palacios is a young player who joined us two months ago. He’s working very hard, and the lads were happy with his debut because he worked hard and well,” said Inzaghi.
“He is a quality player with a great future ahead. Now, he must understand and observe his most experienced teammates, but he will surely give us satisfaction.”
Inter bounced back after a 4-4 draw against Juventus on Sunday. The Nerazzurri saw the glass half-empty as they allowed Juventus to recover from two goals down in the second half.
“I had mixed feelings. Looking at the performance we put in on Sunday, something didn’t quite work,” Inzaghi admitted.
“We would have deserved more, but this is football. Probably, we had to do even more. We worked and tried to recover in these two and a half days. It’s important to manage energy. We are playing at high levels, and a few key players are out. This affects the management a little. Barella and Mkhitaryan have played for consecutive games. Frattesi started in three games and played 30 minutes against Juventus. Right now, without Asllani in the middle of the park, we couldn’t rotate much in central midfield in the last few games.”
