Inzaghi: Ignoring Criticism Behind Inter’s Win Over Fiorentina

Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi praised his players’ maturity and mental resilience after they avenged last week’s defeat to Fiorentina with a 2-1 victory in the second round of Italy’s Serie A on Monday.
Inter Milan bounced back from their poor performance in last Thursday’s 3-0 loss, securing an important home win. Inzaghi commended his players’ ability to learn from past mistakes.
“The players were excellent, and we had great support from the fans. We won together in a crucial match for our journey. We handled both halves well as a mature team. We faced Fiorentina just as we did last Thursday, and it required patience to move the ball. However, we were faster, better in second balls, and more balanced,” Inzaghi said.
He added that resetting the team’s mentality after the recent defeat was crucial, as was their quick recovery from a lackluster performance.
“I tried to lighten the mood for the players and coaching staff. We didn’t enter a training camp so they could stay with their families. I told them not to listen too much to the criticism, and they did well. They ignored the negativity, regained their energy, and delivered a great performance,” he explained.
The victory lifted Inter to 54 points from 24 matches, just one point behind league leaders Napoli.
“We secured an important win. We must continue our strong run in both the Champions League and the domestic league. We cannot stop; we need to keep moving forward while acknowledging that other teams are also performing well and won’t give up,” Inzaghi emphasized.
Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino expressed frustration over the way Inter’s first goal was scored. He believed the ball had fully crossed the goal line and should have resulted in a goal kick instead of a corner that led to Marin Pongračić’s own goal, which gave Inter the lead.
“I never talk about referees or evaluate them, and I made a vow not to assess officiating mistakes. But of course, we were a bit angry about Inter’s goal. If we have tools to help referees make fewer mistakes, we cannot ignore such a crucial error. The ball had crossed the line by about 20 centimeters. These are decisive details,” Palladino stated.
Despite the defeat, he expressed pride in his team’s performance in both recent matches against Inter.
“I believe they played a fantastic game last Thursday, and it wasn’t easy. They boosted our confidence and awareness. But we must not change our mindset. We are a humble team that knows how to defend and adapt,” he concluded.