Former Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi shared his thoughts on the match between Napoli and Inter: “Mamma mia, how much fun I had!”. The Nerazzurri came away 3-0 winners over the current title holders, and writing about it for La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sacchi explained why the Nerazzurri need to continue pressing in their matches:
“Mamma mia, how much fun I had! Napoli-Inter, apart from the result, was a match that reconciled the public with football. Congratulations to all the players, those who won and those who lost’.”
“I have no difficulty in saying that, if they play like they did in Naples, Inter are the favourites for the Scudetto. However, if they play games like they did in Turin against Juve, then everything can come back into question. Juve-Inter, in terms of spectacle, was a challenge that killed off football; this Napoli-Inter, on the other hand, has ignited enthusiasm’.
Proof of maturity, that of Inzaghi’s team. But Napoli also played their part.
“After the first half-hour, I wrote in my notebook: Napoli is back. At that point no one would have imagined that the Nerazzurri would win so comprehensively. This is the reason why I maintain that Napoli must not demoralise, but must insist on this path. Perhaps by correcting something in the defensive phase’.
Do you think Napoli can still be in the fight for the Scudetto?
“They are eleven points behind Inter, it’s true, but I saw a lively, willing, compact team.
What impressed you about Inter?
“The fact that they fought back blow after blow and that, for the first time this season, they pressed. The Nerazzurri played with an open face, and because of that it was a match like you don’t often see in the Italian league. Simone Inzaghi’s team showed quality, experience, power, speed. And finally I didn’t see five or six players in the defensive zone’.
Will it be a duel between Inter and Juve at this point?
“Juve, who practice a football based on defensive attention and counter-attacks, are growing. Allegri’s men have an iron will and this was also seen in the last match against Monza. They never give up, and then they don’t have European commitments: a nice advantage’.
And can Milan threaten Inter?
“They are six points behind, it’s not a resounding gap. The Rossoneri, however, must find a balance on the pitch, they must become a team. I believe that if they manage to make this leap in quality, then they can still have their say.”
The biggest danger for Inter?
“That of feeling already there. That’s a risk you run after performances like the one in Napoli. The Nerazzurri, instead, must consider this success a starting point. I think that if they insist on this path and if Simone Inzaghi succeeds in making it even more courageous, spaces can open up for Inter at international level too. They have given a remarkable show of strength, now they must continue to keep their foot on the accelerator without thinking they are phenomena’.
