Inzaghi: I give Inter players more freedom than under Conte

Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi believes his players’ decision-making has been instrumental to the team’s impressive performances and results on the pitch. 

The Serie A leaders ended 2021 on a seven-game winning run, scoring 20 times and conceding only one in that sequence, which has seen them open a four-point lead at the top. 

Inzaghi’s team have been praised for their positive football, a departure from Antonio Conte’s transition-based style which often drew criticism from the media and pundits. 

While the incumbent believes his team are absorbing his ideas, he has equally praised the team for making the right choices on the pitch. 

“Modern football is above all about occupying space. So I give the players the freedom to decide the right moment to act,” Inzaghi told La Gazzetta dello Sport. 

“We can organise defensive and attacking movements, which we do with ad-hoc video tactical sessions, but the decisions are ultimately with the players. A football match is a collection of choices, the best ones are made by those who win trophies.”

Despite Inter’s strong first half of the season, the former Lazio boss is not counting his team’s chickens even though supporters are impressed by what they see. 

“The winter champion title isn’t a trophy. We’re doing well, but this is just a starting point,” said the tactician. “I was content even in October when we were a long way off the top. 

“That’s because I’d meet the fans around the city and they’d tell me that they liked the way we played, happily coming to the stadium. That is the most important compliment for a coach.”

Inter ended 2021 on an 11-match unbeaten streak, a run that started following a 3-1 defeat by Lazio in October. 

The Nerazzurri return to league action in the New Year with a trip to mid-table Bologna on January 6.