After his team suffered a 3-4 home defeat to Club Brugge in the second round of the Champions League group stage, Inter Milan head coach Simone Inzaghi gave an interview to Sky Sport Italia.

It was quite a strange game because both teams scored many goals. The most obvious problem is that Brugge caused significant damage when pushing forward, and although Inter started well and created several good chances, overall we still looked somewhat fragile. Do you agree with this assessment?

In my view, we played well in the first half, just like our opponent. It was a first half full of physical contact and high intensity, and we did some things tactically correct. But then we conceded from a counter-attack following a corner kick, which was quite unfortunate – during that defensive phase, we should have been better organized. However, we were able to adjust and get back into the game, scoring an equalizer before halftime.

After the second half began, we continued to perform well, quickly creating two important and excellent chances. Unfortunately, we couldn't convert them into goals. Then the team experienced some frustration and impatience, and I believe this mentality caused us to lose our proper defensive shape and upset our tactical balance.From the moment Brugge took a 2-1 lead, everything in the game deviated completely from our intended path and rhythm. We lacked composure and calm, couldn't strictly adhere to our tactical plan. Of course, we must also credit Brugge, who with their excellent technical ability, intensity, and fierce determination to win, caused us significant problems in the match.One statistic that deserves special emphasis is that we often talk about Inter's excellent attacking quality and the number of goals we score, but we also need to pay attention to the number of goals we're conceding. We've conceded 14 goals across all competitions. Does a statistic like this concern you?

I can't say I'm not concerned. It's clear there are aspects that need to be seriously evaluated and examined, especially in Champions League competition. In the Champions League, when you fall behind, it's very difficult to equalize or turn things around. This is because of the high level of the other teams competing, their excellent individual technical ability, rapid transitions between attack and defense, and their ability to exploit specific moments in the game. But what we need to focus on now is our own tactical balance, emphasizing pressing, winning second balls, and maintaining proper defensive shape when pressing aggressively in the opponent's half. In short, we need to try harder to improve, and we've known this for a long time.

My final question on this topic is: results in the Champions League continue to lag, as this is now our second defeat. Currently, Inter are in an uncomfortable situation with zero points, which almost forces the team to fight for victory in every remaining game. This statistic in the Champions League is quite concerning, but how can we turn this negative trend into a positive one? After all, the statistics show that in Inter's last eight Champions League games, we've managed just one victory while losing seven...

Yes, we're well aware of what has gone wrong in the Champions League. We're trying to compensate and fix things at every level, including mental preparation. Perhaps there's some historical psychological burden or hidden danger affecting us. I bear primary responsibility because in certain competitions, I may have failed to help the team find the precise tactical balance. We'll continue with targeted training, but everyone must maintain confidence and look firmly to the future, because there are still six games to come.

It's undeniable that given everyone's expectations and the very different results we all hoped for, these two defeats in the Champions League are painful. What you said is true. Last season, our Champions League campaign ended in defeat, and if I remember correctly, in that competition we won only against Dortmund. We have much work to do and improvements to make tactically – and I bear primary responsibility for that. At the same time, it's true mentally as well. We need to restore our enthusiasm, tactical balance, and the right mentality for specific competitions.

I believe when you watch this match again, you'll notice one team was running at full intensity on the pitch, while the other seemed to be taking a stroll, especially in the second half. This difference was particularly evident in the second half. So we need to make significant effort on this. When the team loses possession, the midfield must build a stronger defensive line and maintain higher intensity in defense...

That's exactly what I just said. I don't need to watch the film again, because my feeling from the bench is that after we missed two good chances early in the second half, the game spiraled out of our control. We were overwhelmed by disappointment, lost some intensity, and pressed too high as a team, forgetting to track back to second balls in time. Yes, it involved disappointment and loss of tactical balance. We made the mistake of pressing when our defensive line was too wide with too much space between defenders, giving the opponent too much time and space to play. We couldn't match our opponent's pressing intensity at all. We were always caught out, and in the Champions League, you pay a steep price for that inevitably.

We still have much work to do. We need to improve and fix specific problems. I want to reiterate that I bear primary responsibility because from a tactical organization standpoint before the match, I could have done better. Perhaps at halftime, I should have communicated more calm and composure to the players, guided them on how to handle the second half appropriately, rather than putting too much mental pressure on them. Because in the Champions League, you must find the precise balance, the right intensity, and you also need ruthlessness and determination to convert chances into goals. Sometimes we cling too much to the objectives we set at the beginning of the season. Perhaps we need some changes indeed.

Simone, I just want to highlight a fundamental difference between Serie A and European competition. In European competitions, even teams that aren't traditional giants but have their own history – like Bodø/Glimt last season or Club Brugge today – even if they risk conceding many goals as you mentioned, you should be able to go ahead. And even when trailing 1-2 with chances from Lautaro and others, you should be ahead twice over. The score could have been 6-5 or 6-4. But this doesn't change the mentality and playing style that opponents you face in European competition display. This is the key difference between the Champions League and our domestic league...

You're absolutely right. European competition is very different, both in terms of intensity and technical quality. However, it's our responsibility and duty to find the right balance when using a specific strategy. We must always be aware that every small mistake in European competition costs you dearly, because the Champions League usually depends on details and key moments that change rapidly. We need to be calm and composed enough, maintain the necessary patience, without losing our technical characteristics and inherent strength.

We need to improve and have much work to do. We absolutely cannot lose confidence and enthusiasm in ourselves. However, at certain crucial moments in the competition, we must better understand and recognize that sometimes, because our organization is too loose and the distance between our defensive lines is too wide, we cannot press effectively, because we'll always be caught out. From this perspective, we need the right mindset and learn to interpret and respond to the various crucial phases of the game accurately.

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