Inzaghi will defend Inter squad rotation after late Swiss success | OneFootball

Simone Inzaghi defends his squad rotation and insists Inter do not rely entirely on their star players after the super subs came on to secure victory away to Young Boys.

The Nerazzurri were starting to feel as if this really wasn’t their night, especially after Marko Arnautovic saw his penalty parried by David von Ballmoos straight after the restart.

Young Boys also had their fair share of scoring opportunities and hit the frame of the goal, but three of Inzaghi’s substitutes combined to grab the victory in stoppages.

Lautaro Martinez’s back-heel flick sent Federico Dimarco down the left, his cross tapped in at the near post by Marcus Thuram. Did Inter need their ‘first choice’ players to win this game?

“We’re pleased, but also know how important it is to have five substitutions. Football has changed in that sense, I got a good response from the substitutes against Roma and now more than ever we need everyone,” Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia.

“There were difficulties that we expected, but the team showed great spirit. We are very happy with the fifth consecutive victory and want to keep going. Just think about on Sunday against Roma, Frattesi and De Vrij came on without warm-up, they were among the best performers.”

Inzaghi getting ‘worried’ by injury problems

epa11678623 YB’s goalkeeper David von Ballmoos (back) saves a penalty against Inter’s Marko Arnautovic (R) during the UEFA Champions League soccer match between BSC Young Boys and FC Inter, in Bern, Switzerland, 23 October 2024. EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE

Carlos Augusto pulled up clutching the back of his left thigh and has a suspected hamstring strain, which could rule the versatile defender out for several weeks.

This injury list is growing, including Hakan Calhanoglu, Francesco Acerbi and Kristjan Asllani, while Piotr Zielinski was only fit for a substitute role today.

“It is a problem we have at the moment and it is worrying me a little. We know this is only the second game in a run of seven, we’ll have limited squad rotation options from now until November, but we’ll try to do as much as possible.”

Arnautovic stepped up when Denzel Dumfries was hauled down for a penalty, so was the Austrian veteran meant to have those duties?

“Taremi and Arnautovic were the penalty takers in the absence of Calhanoglu,” explained Inzaghi.

“Either of them could’ve taken it today, he’s a very reliable player from the spot, but the goalkeeper made a great save. He mustn’t worry, he needs to keep working and being important for us.”

The fact that Inter improved as the game wore on suggests they might’ve had the wrong attitude to begin with, or that their second choice players aren’t as strong.

“We did better in the second half, Young Boys started to fall away, but despite that we actually ran more risks with them hitting the woodwork. It’s a pity we had those clear scoring opportunities with Taremi and Zielinski,” added Inzaghi.

“The referee was excellent this evening, we all need to calm down a bit and help take some of the pressure off referees to let them do their job. I had the same issue on Sunday when I saw the footage of the foul that would’ve been a red card after 28 minutes, I lost my temper and got booked.”