We don't want to stop now – Simone Inzaghi wants final push from Inter Milan

Independent

a day ago

Simone Inzaghi will be hoping it is second time lucky when he sends his Inter Milan side into Champions League final battle against Paris St Germain, saying: 'we've made it this far and don't want to stop now.'
The Serie A runners-up will go head-to-head with the Ligue 1 champions at Munich's Allianz Arena on Saturday evening in search of a fourth European crown as they attempt to prolong the big-spending French club's quest to land a first.
Former Lazio striker Inzaghi only made it as far as the quarter-finals as a player, but sampled the bitter taste of defeat as Inter's head coach against Manchester City in Istanbul two seasons ago.
He said at his pre-match press conference: 'We have to step onto the pitch with the determination and desire to win this match. We'll play it our way, with the qualities that brought us here. The journey we've been on, full of challenges, gives us great belief. We've made it this far and don't want to stop now.
'This squad has given me a great deal over four years. We've won a great deal.
'We've lost on the odd occasion, as occasionally happens in football, but I think we've always given everything out there on the pitch, we, the players, the staff, the fans, so we're absolutely proud to represent Inter, and we will do so again tomorrow in the final act of this season's Champions League.
'This is a competition that I dreamt of playing in as a kid. I didn't make it as a footballer, I only got as far as the Champions League quarter-finals, but thanks to this group of players, I will be involved in two Champions League finals as a head coach.'
Inzaghi, who batted away speculation about his future, revealed he has a fully-fit squad from which to choose for the first meeting between the teams in a game which for many is too tight to call, unlike in Inter's last final when City were firm favourites.
He said: 'We were huge underdogs two years ago, but then our performance on the pitch showed that we went toe-to-toe with them and maybe we might have deserved a bit more despite the fact that we were up against Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, the best team in the world at that moment in time.'
Skipper Lautaro Martinez is convinced Inter are a better team now than they were that night, but knows they may have to produce the 'perfect' game to take the silverware back to Italy.
Martinez said: 'We've definitely improved a great deal as a team. We've developed, we've grown.
'We've come up against some top-class opponents in some very challenging arenas – we were up against teams that had long unbeaten home records, yet we turned up there, we played our football, we showed what we're all about and we've earned respect in this competition.
'We've got out heads down, we've worked hard, we've focused on ourselves. We've got Inter to where we are.
'We've got the opportunity to now secure this goal after a number of years. Let's hope this is the right time once again to win the Champions League. We'll try to produce the perfect performance to reach this target.'