Inzaghi: ‘Juventus always change in principles, Allegri had his ideas, Motta others’ | OneFootball

Simone Inzaghi has given his assessment of Inter and Juventus ahead of the meeting of the two sides in the highly-anticipated Derby d’Italia in Serie A on Sunday evening, explaining the differences between Max Allegri and Thiago Motta’s sides and the implications tomorrow’s game will have on the title race.

Inzaghi sat down for his customary pre-match press conference on Saturday evening, ahead of the Serie A match between Inter and Juventus in San Siro on Sunday.

Inzaghi on Derby d’Italia importance and Inter team news

The Nerazzurri coach is fully aware of the importance of Sunday’s derby, but insists that given the timing of the match, nine games into the season, the result will not be the deciding factor in the hunt for the Serie A title.

“We all know how important the game is and what it means for our club, for our fans and for ourselves. It’s the ninth game of the season, so it won’t be the be all and end all, but it’s still really important. Two excellent teams that have had practically the same path so far will go up against each other,” Inzaghi said, via TMW.

Inzaghi is confident given that Inter are on  a decent run of form heading into the Juventus game.

“We’re getting there, we’re in decent shape with a run of five consecutive victories. We’ve had a few problems unfortunately, which will limit us in terms of the games up until the break. The players who are ready are ready, tomorrow I’ll try and field the best possible line-up.”

He also revealed which players could come in to replace the unavailable Hakan Calhanoglu at the base of midfield.

“We know what Calhanoglu means for us, he’s a world class player. Asllani is his natural replacement, he brings a certain amount of guarantees if he plays. He’s someone who has improved a lot over the last few years. His bad luck is that he has Hakan in front of him. He had a problem before the Roma game, but he trained for the first time yesterday. It went okay, but we still have to evaluate.

“We also have Barella and Zielinski for that role, I will think about that until tomorrow evening.”

Inzaghi on Serie A title race and Juve changes under Thiago Motta

TURIN, ITALY – OCTOBER 19: Thiago Motta, Head Coach of Juventus, watches on from the technical area during the Serie A match between Juventus and SS Lazio at on October 19, 2024 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Inzaghi feels that there won’t just be one or two teams in the race for the Serie A title come the end of the 2024-25 season.

“You know how I feel about the title race, I think there will be many teams in the running. Lots of teams have invested well and have closed the gap. It will depend on lots of things.

“After a Scudetto and a Champions League final, one could think about calling it a day, but I want to continue improving with my staff. Football evolves, teams become more organised and we have to always do better.

Inzaghi has plenty of respect for both of Juve’s most recent coaches, Allegri and Motta, and explained what it was like to go up against the former towards the end of his Bianconeri tenure, compared to what it will be like to go up against the new man in charge.

“We’ve played this game 10 times since I’ve been here and there’s always been a lot of balance. Two of those games ended in extra-time because they were finals. It will be a very balanced game.

“Juventus lost their first game two days ago, they are the best in Europe in terms of goals conceded. They are an excellent team with an excellent coach who I like a lot. They have made huge investments and will be contenders all year.

“Juve always change in principles. Allegri had his ideas and Motta has others. With Allegri it was always tight championships and tight finals, he’s a coach that I respect a lot, like Motta.

“(While Motta was) at Bologna, they were always difficult matches, too. Now he’s at Juve and has had an excellent run so far, in the league and the Champions League.”