MY ACCOUNT
Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi said the Nerazzurri can be proud of their efforts after moving top of Serie A, but insisted there is plenty of work still to be done.
Defending champions Inter moved a point clear of city rivals Milan at the Serie A summit following a 4-0 rout of Cagliari at San Siro on Sunday.
Lautaro Martinez scored twice – and missed a penalty – while Alexis Sanchez and Hakan Calhanoglu were also on target for high-flying Inter.
It was a dominant display as Inter enjoyed a whopping 75.2 per cent of the possession, registered 24 shots and, but for the heroics of Cagliari goalkeeper Alessio Cragno, they could easily have extended their winning margin.
Inter are also through to the knockout stages of the Champions League and will discover their last-16 opponents in Monday’s draw.
Inzaghi was pleased with the way his players responded from their midweek defeat to Real Madrid, but maintained they cannot afford to take anything for granted.
“The lads did really well. I had asked for concentration and focus, as I saw this weekend so many big clubs struggle after European games,” he told DAZN.
“I knew Cagliari would be organised, and we needed the right approach. I congratulated them at half-time for their attitude as, although it was only 1-0, they had the right performance, and we just needed to convert more of those chances.
“We are top of the table; we reached the Champions League round of 16 after 11 years, so it’s hard to do better.”
Inter have won 18 home games in 2021 and have never done better in a single calendar year in Serie A.
Meanwhile, Inter scored 98 goals in Serie A this year, only in 1950 the Nerazzurri scored more goals (99) in a calendar year in the top flight.
“I knew we were playing well from the very start; that was 23 games ago, but there’s a long road ahead. We’ve done well to put together a run of positive results,” Inzaghi added.
“Now that we are top, naturally we want to stay there. However, we were seven or eight points off the top just a month ago, so we know it’s a tricky and very open season.
“Our aim for Christmas was to reach the Champions League round of 16, because Inter deserved to be there after 11 years, and we did it with a game in hand. Now, we can focus on Serie A for the next few weeks.”
