Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi explained why he took off Hakan Calhanoglu midway through the second half against Arsenal.
After overseeing a 1-0 win at Giuseppe Meazza, Inzaghi addressed several significant topics in the post-match interview, as reported by FCInterNews.
The Nerazzurri atypically played a defensive game.
However, Simone Inzaghi insists he adjusts his tactics based on the opposition.
“Due to the development of the match, with certain opponents, it’s acceptable,” he admitted.
“Arsenal comes at you with the whole team when you defend low; we conceded too many corners, where they are lethal.
“However, we defeated a great team, which has proven to be a top club, engaging in major duels with Manchester City in the Premier League.
“This is a complete team; we’ve had some problems with certain players.
“We’ve had many matches in twenty days and needed to make changes.
“If I’d had Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Acerbi, the rotations would have been wider. Without them, I’ve had Barella play a lot; he’s always started until tonight.
“There are tools that help you understand when a player needs a breather. We’ve worked hard, and there’s still a game left.
“We need to recover a lot after a very demanding match against a very strong team that pushes you to give a lot.
“I’ll congratulate the guys again tomorrow. Arsenal is a very high-quality opponent.”
Defensive Solidity Off The Charts
Inter boast more clean sheets in the Champions League than any other team since Inzaghi took over in 2021.
However, the 48-year-old wants his side to translate that defensive resilience to Serie A.
“Definitely, and the guys are aware of it. Tonight was a night to remember with the fans cheering us on until the 95th minute.
“Four games without conceding a goal is an important statistic for continuing in the competition.”
Inzaghi sees Inter’s defensive approach tonight as a good sign.
“Yes, but in the last eight games we’ve won seven times.
“Teams always want to put us in difficulty; we know what we did well in these first 15 games.
“We know it’s difficult to play so much, and it’s my duty to make the best choices.
“Tonight, I made a good choice because we won; perhaps with a different result.
“I wouldn’t have been as good. But I must always choose for the good of Inter.”
Inter Milan Boss Simone Inzaghi Addresses Hakan Calhanoglu Fitness Status
Hakan Calhanoglu scored a match-winning penalty tonight.
But he had to leave the field in the 71st minute to avoid renewing his thigh injury.
“He was fatigued,” Inzaghi explained. “He didn’t have any particular issues.
“He played for half an hour in Venice, more tonight, and was tired because our players exerted a lot.
“I changed the midfielders because they did an excellent job.
“Asllani was excellent, he gave us a big hand like everyone else.
“It wasn’t easy to enter a game like this after not making tackles for 13 days.”
Meanwhile, Yann Bisseck started ahead of Alessandro Bastoni and excelled.
“For me, he’s very strong; the issue is that we have equally strong defenders here.
“But he played against City and Arsenal and had a rib issue in the last two days. He played with a bandage and didn’t train on Monday.
“Kudos to the doctors for getting him ready; he had an ice pack at halftime but didn’t give up on anything.
“Tonight, they were all outstanding.”
