Soccer Football - Serie A - Inter Milan v Fiorentina - San Siro, Milan, Italy - February 10, 2025 Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
(Reuters) - Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi commended his side for their maturity and impressive mental resilience after they avenged last week's defeat by Fiorentina with a 2-1 victory in the re-match on Monday.
Inter managed to turn around their poor performance in last Thursday's 3-0 loss to secure an important win at home, with Inzaghi praising the players' ability to learn from past mistakes.
"The players were excellent; we were supported by the fans, and together we won a decisive match for our journey. We approached both halves well, as a mature team," he said.
"We faced Fiorentina as we did on Thursday, and it required patience to move the ball. However, we were faster, better at second balls, and more balanced."
Inzaghi added that the team’s mental reset following their recent defeat was key, noting how they quickly bounced back after the lacklustre performance.
"I tried to lighten the mood for the players, along with the staff. We didn’t do a retreat so they could be with their families," he said.
"I told them not to listen too much (to criticism), and they were good. They didn’t listen, recovering their energy and putting in a great performance, which wasn’t guaranteed."
The victory means Inter are now just a point behind leaders Napoli with both sides having played 24 matches.
"They’re important," he said of the win. "We must continue our journey, which is great both in the Champions League and in the league. We can’t stop; we need to keep going, knowing that there are other teams also who performs well, who aren’t giving up."
FIORENTINA FRUSTRATION
Fiorentina manager Raffaele Palladino was left frustrated with the way Inter scored their first goal.
The manager believed that the entire ball had gone out of play at the byline, hence a goal-kick should have been awarded. But the referee let the action continue, which ended up with Inter winning a corner that led to Marin Pongracic scoring the own goal that handed Inter the lead.
"I never talk about referees, I don’t judge them, and I’ve promised myself never to judge a refereeing error. But of course, we were a bit angry about Inter’s goal," Palladino said.
"If we have a tool that is there to help referees make fewer mistakes, we can’t fail to intervene on an objective error. The ball went out by about 20cm. These are decisive details."
Palladino added he was proud of the two matches his side had played in the last four days against Inter despite Monday's loss.
"I think they produced a masterpiece on Thursday, and it wasn’t easy," he said.
"They’ve increased our confidence and self-awareness. But we must not change our mentality. We remain a humble team that knows how to defend and adapt."
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
