‘I always want to play’ – Coppa hero Sanchez eager for more playing time at Inter

Inter forward Alexis Sanchez served up a reminder of his talent before expressing frustration at a lack of opportunities under Simone Inzaghi this season.

Sanchez produced an inspired performance as the Nerazzurri responded to their derby defeat by Milan with a 2-0 win over Roma, advancing to the Coppa Italia semi-finals.

After Edin Dzeko opened the scoring at San Siro, Chile international Sanchez sealed victory with a ferocious 25-yard effort midway through the second half.

The former Barcelona, Manchester United and Arsenal forward also registered game-high tallies of 13 crosses and five key passes.

Sanchez was making his 23rd appearance of the season in all competitions, but only his sixth start.

HEY AMIGO

This is what stars are made of#InterRoma#CoppaItaliaFrecciarossa #FORZAINTERpic.twitter.com/1Ixe10Hfu4

— Inter (@Inter_en)February 8, 2022

While acknowledging the team must come first, he spoke of his frustration at mainly having to settle for cameos.

He said: “I always want to play. The more I play, the better I feel. I want to do the best for the team, it’s difficult to play five or 10 minutes and do well.”

Looking at Inter’s current circumstances, Sanchez told Sport Mediaset: “We know that we played better than Milan in the derby, but we shouldn’t have made those mistakes.

“We’re staying calm as we’re still top [of Serie A] and we want to continue down our path.”

Meanwhile, Inzaghi expressed delight at his players’ response to their disappointing weekend defeat at the hands of Milan.

The Inter head coach said: “The boys were very good, it was not an easy match. Roma are a quality team, with an excellent squad. We controlled the pitch very well and deserved [to reach] this semi-final.

“I congratulated the boys because to play a match with such strong personality two and a half days after the setback in the derby wasn’t easy.”

The only sour note for the hosts was an ankle injury sustained by defender Alessandro Bastoni during the first half.

Inzaghi hopes that any spell on the sidelines for the Italy international will be minimal.

“I hope it is nothing serious,” Inzaghi said. “The doctors will do the necessary checks, we hope not to lose him for too long because he is really too important to us.”