Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi admitted that nerves crept in as his side held on for a 2-1 home victory against Udinese in Serie A on Sunday. Despite taking a commanding 2-0 lead before halftime with goals from Marko Arnautovic and Davide Frattesi, the Nerazzurri relied on a strong performance from goalkeeper Yann Sommer to secure the three points.
“A splendid first half by the lads, where we deserved more than the two-goal lead. In the second half, before (Udinese defender Oumar) Solet’s goal, we hadn’t conceded too much,” Inzaghi told DAZN. “After that, we lost our lucidity against a team like Udinese that has always shown interesting things.”
Tensions flared late in the match, leading to Inzaghi receiving his second yellow card in stoppage time after storming onto the pitch to protest a refereeing decision.
“I made a mistake at the end. I apologised to the referee,” Inzaghi said. “The foul on (Joaquin) Correa seemed clear to me, then came the corner kick in which Solet almost scored. Sometimes adrenaline plays bad tricks, unfortunately, I won’t be on the bench next time.”
The coach had already received a booking early in the second half for his protests after Inter striker Marcus Thuram was brought down on the edge of the box. His suspension means he will miss Inter’s upcoming league clash against Parma on Saturday.
Adding to Inter’s concerns, the team faces selection difficulties ahead of their Coppa Italia semi-final first leg against AC Milan on Wednesday. Inzaghi confirmed that several key players will be unavailable, including Mehdi Taremi, Lautaro Martinez, and Denzel Dumfries.
“At the moment, we are in difficulty. Of our five substitutions, four were forced,” he explained. “Arnautovic and Frattesi took knocks and had to be changed, (Federico) Dimarco and (Matteo) Darmian had just returned from injuries. On Wednesday, we will also have (Kristjan) Asllani suspended.”
To manage player workload, Inzaghi opted to substitute midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu despite his importance to the team. “It would have been the fourth full match for Calhanoglu, and I preferred to take him off,” he said.
With a crucial run of fixtures ahead, Inter will be hoping for reinforcements as they juggle their Serie A campaign, the Coppa Italia, and the upcoming Club World Cup. “We will move forward hoping they can give us a hand in the future because we will need them as we progress in the competitions. Then the Club World Cup will be important for us,” Inzaghi concluded.
Despite the nervy ending against Udinese, Inter remain focused on their title challenge and their pursuit of silverware on multiple fronts.
