Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi will not underestimate Feyenoord after the Dutch club battered AC Milan and Bayern Munich at De Kuip.
Speaking to InterTV via FCInterNews, the 48-year-old manager admitted he expects ‘a tough match against a quality opponent.’
As the only manager in the past five years to reach the Champions League knockouts, Inzaghi opts for a cautious approach.
Indeed, the Nerazzurri enjoyed a near-flawless league stage, conceding a competition-low one goal.
Despite their stellar exploits in the first phase, Inter won’t take Feyenoord for granted in their last-16 tie.
Robin Van Persie’s charges deserve the benefit of the doubt.
After a scintillating 3-0 romping of Bayern Munich in the league stage, they got the better of Milan in the knockout playoffs.
Therefore, Simone Inzaghi urged Inter to take this task seriously.
“We’ll have to put in a great performance,” Inzaghi said.
“They have strong home support, as we saw in their matches against Bayern Munich and Milan.”
Furthermore, Feyenoord pulled off a stunning late comeback to draw 3-3 with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
“Even away, they’ve done well – just look at their 3-3 draw in Manchester after being 3-0 down.
“They’re a side with quality that will want to give their all in the Round of 16, just like Inter.”
Then, Inzaghi commented on a full-blown injury crisis at Giuseppe Meazza.
“We know we’re in an emergency situation,” he added.
“It’s an important part of the season, and after the absences we already had against Napoli, we’ve now lost Dimarco too.
“That leaves us short in a key area, but our playing principles remain the same.
“Fortunately, we have two left-footed players in Bastoni and Acerbi who can help out in that role if needed.”
Inzaghi knows Igor Paixao and Anis Hadj Moussa are capable of causing havoc for opposition defenses.
“We need to help each other and maintain the right distances,” he claimed.
“They have very strong wingers in one-on-one situations, and their full-backs overlap well. We’ll need to be very focused.
However, if there’s a team capable of denying Feyenoord’s attacking threat, it’s Inter.
Since Inzaghi’s arrival, they’ve kept a clean sheet in 59.5% of their Champions League games.
“It’s a great stat because we know that every team’s success depends on its defensive work,” Inzaghi admitted.
“And when I talk about defense, I don’t just mean the defenders – I mean the entire team, starting with the forwards.”
