Inzaghi on Man City draw: ‘It wasn’t easy, three days before the derby’

Inter Milan earned a crucial point in their UEFA Champions League opener, holding Manchester City to a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium. The Nerazzurri managed to keep the reigning European champions scoreless at home for the first time in two and a half years in the competition.

After the match, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi spoke to the media, praising his team’s performance:

“The boys did well, they worked well together. We knew the opponent we were facing, but they were excellent. We worked well and could have hurt them in some situations. We suffered a bit in the second half, but even while struggling we had chances with Darmian and Mkhitaryan where we could have been better. But I congratulated the boys, now we have to move forward. We’re making our Champions League debut three days before the derby, but this is the schedule we have.”

Inzaghi acknowledged that his team sometimes lacked the final touch in the attacking third:

“I agree, it has also happened in the league. In the final 30 meters you need technique, it’s not easy against this team but we are a technical team. This is the first time we haven’t scored and this will be a reason to grow, we will work even more on the finishing. Taremi’s chance remains in mind, he could have finished, but he did well. With these great teams like City and Real Madrid, it always seems like you can score, but in the end they manage to fix situations.”

The Inter coach was pleased with keeping City scoreless but admitted he would have preferred a win:

“It’s good, but I would have liked to win because they haven’t lost in the Champions League since 2018.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming Milan derby, Inzaghi provided an update on Federico Dimarco’s availability:

“Dimarco should be there for the derby. We won’t take risks, there’s enough confidence. If he has a good final training session on Saturday, he’ll be among the called-up players. We have skilled doctors and physiotherapists who monitor every day. Today he had a light workout and seemed to be doing better. If there are no problems, he will be part of the match.”