On September 15 at 2:45 AM CEST, Inter Milan will host Udinese in Serie A's fourth matchday at the San Siro. Before the match, Inter manager Simone Inzaghi attended a press conference. This is the second part of his pre-match remarks.

Related reading

【Chivu: Even in the Champions League we face intense criticism. We must learn to deal with public opinion】

You've repeatedly mentioned the word "progress" during our conversations. Comparing to the match we played against Udinese about a year ago, we've now completed a full year of development. What do you consider to be the most significant progress this team has made that you're particularly proud of? Additionally, what is one thing you hope to see the team do on the pitch soon that you haven't fully discussed yet?

First, comparing to the match against Udinese a year ago, we now have two additional trophies in our cabinet—the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia. That's not a small number; it's the most important achievement to focus on. Consider where we started, recall all the discussions and difficult moments at that time. We finished second in the league at home. Today, one year later, we have two new trophies: the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia.

So from this perspective, the team's progress and transformation are evident. However, what truly matters to us is that we can continue to deepen this continuous improvement process as we integrate our football philosophy, and there are still areas where we can make progress. The players understand this well and are very motivated to meet the coaching staff's requirements in training and matches.

Hello, I'd like to ask about Calhanoglu's condition. He started three of the first four matches but played a maximum of 65 minutes in each. Is the team currently using a protective strategy for him to reduce the risk of injury like we saw last season? Or is it because his physical fitness and form haven't reached their optimal level yet, so his minutes are being limited in matches?

He was injured before the Copa America and played in that tournament as well. He missed some matches at the end of last season due to injury. If I recall correctly, his last match was the Coppa Italia semi-final, where he scored two goals. Then he missed the Coppa Italia final and end-of-season matches due to injury. So he went to the national team while still recovering, played two matches at the World Cup, but missed the third. After that, he had a month of rest. Everyone knows about the criticism directed at both him and the Turkish national team regarding his performance during that period. His break was lengthy, and he was among the later players to return to the team and missed the early training camp in Germany. So as I mentioned in previous press conferences, our care and strategy is to gradually bring each player back to their best form, especially those who missed most of the pre-season. It's the same for him.

Hello Christian, I'd like to ask about Andy Diouf. No one expected him to start against Real Madrid. He showed excellent physical and competitive qualities. By playing him as much as possible, are you trying to help him quickly understand his role and get through the difficult periods he faces in matches? What are your expectations for this player's future?

Like other players in the team, we're trying to help him reach his best form as quickly as possible. That's because our goal is to extend his high-quality performance from 60 minutes to 80 minutes. This is a target for everyone, especially for a winger like him. Looking at his tactical characteristics, the longer he can maintain his best form on the pitch, the more beneficial it will be for us, for him personally, and for the entire team.

He's a player with complete confidence and decisiveness when he sees the opponent's goal. He firmly faces one-on-one defensive situations and has the ability to beat defenders behind him. This ability disrupts the opponent's defensive shape and forces their defense to retreat. It's difficult for opponents to mark him with two players without additional coverage. So tactically, he gives us another solution.

Yes, in the future, depending on specific match requirements or tactical plans, he may need to do other work on the flanks. But for him personally, looking at his integration with the team, his attitude, and his efforts over the past year and more that he's been here—he's been here for over a year now—there's nothing to criticize. We're very pleased and satisfied with his current progress and level of performance.

Hello Coach, I'd like to revisit this season's refereeing standards. I noticed yesterday—I'm not sure if you did—that we awarded two penalties in the first half, both later overturned on review. One required waiting the full 32 minutes, which is a benchmark for Serie A with 20 teams. Unfortunately, both penalties were overturned due to contact. You praised the referees' standards at the start of this season. First, do you still hold that view? Second, after watching many matches, where do you think referees could improve? What could they do better compared to the current situation?

I'm very satisfied with the current standard of implementation. That's because the less VAR interferes, the more intense the match, the better the tactical coordination and flow. If I were to express a preference, I think the rule about quick restarts within 5, 7, 8, or 10 seconds is extremely important. That's because it gives the match excellent rhythm and reduces unnecessary time-wasting. I also completely agree with how soft contact and diving are currently being handled, where players who go down too easily are being managed. That's because if you go down hard and get injured, you have to leave the field for assessment, and your team will be down one player for a minute, so everyone understands this.

Regarding penalty decisions, VAR's intervention at critical moments when the main referee's view is obstructed is completely justified and beneficial to everyone. (Yes, no one wants to abolish VAR). However, I greatly appreciate the current approach of the refereeing team. It involves maintaining the match's flow and continuity, returning control and decision-making authority to the main referee, and encouraging them to take responsibility for their decisions. If I were to express one hope, it would be to see more communication between the main referee and players. However, I also fully understand that referees are under enormous psychological pressure. So the current situation is really quite good.

Hello Coach, could you please update us on the injury list? Has De Vrij fully recovered from his injury and is he available for tomorrow's match? Also, when will Speroni be ready to return?

De Vrij participated fully in today's training and is completely ready for selection. Speroni is continuing his physical recovery and targeted rehabilitation work, so he won't play tomorrow. After the squad list is announced tomorrow, everyone will learn about the status of other players.

AI ဘာသာပြန်ဆိုသည်။

AF ၏ PC ဝဘ်ဆိုက် စတင်ထွက်ရှိပြီ! သင့်ကွန်ပျူတာမှ သတင်းများ၊ မှတ်ချက်များ၊ ပွဲစဉ်အသေးစိတ်နှင့် စာရင်းဇယားများကြည့်ရှုနိုင်သည်။ ဝင်ရောက်ရန်: www.allfootballapp.com