Inzaghi challenges resurgent Inter to ´continue at this pace´ after Lecce triumph

Simone Inzaghi challenged Inter to “continue at this pace” after returning to winning ways in Serie A with a comfortable victory over Lecce on Sunday.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lautaro Martinez were on target as Inter responded to a 1-0 defeat against Bologna with a much-improved showing in a 2-0 triumph over Lecce at San Siro.

Victory moved the Nerazzurri back to second in Serie A, albeit some 15 points behind runaway leaders Napoli, who were surprise 1-0 losers to third-placed Lazio on Friday.

With a crucial Champions League last-16 tie at Porto, who trail 1-0 after the first leg, to come on March 14, Inzaghi urged Inter to replicate their form after an impressive response.

“We know how things work: we came from a bad defeat like the one in Bologna, so there was a lot of talk about it,” the Inter coach said at a post-match press conference.

“I talked about it a lot with my players and my club. We responded well and we have to continue at this pace.”

Lecce defeated top-four chasers Atalanta just two matches before the Inter visit and also boast a victory over Lazio, as well as draws with Napoli and Milan this season.

That suggests Marco Baroni’s men are by no means pushovers in the Italian top flight and Inzaghi was glad to negotiate what could have been a tricky task.

“We played an excellent game, approached very well and the boys were intense for the entire 93 minutes,” he added.

“We conceded nothing to a team that has had excellent games against big teams in this league. I’m very happy.”

Bouncing back together #InterLecce #ForzaInter pic.twitter.com/qFRf3bLPN0

— Inter (@Inter_en) March 5, 2023

Speculation began to grow over wing-back Robin Gosens’ future after failing to make the starting spot on the left-hand side his own following his move from Atalanta in January 2022.

However, an injury to Federico Dimarco saw the Germany international start for a second successive league game for Inzaghi’s side and Gosens assured his commitment remains with Inter.

When asked about his future, the 28-year-old told DAZN: “Only Inter.”

Inter’s performance was in stark contrast to the defeat against Bologna last time out, with Gosens acknowledging that disappointing loss was a reality check.

“After Bologna we told each other to shut up and work because this is the only way to win matches in Serie A and we did so,” added Gosens after his 150th match in Serie A.

“We saw a ready Inter who showed from the start that we wanted to win this important match, the victory was deserved and I felt good on the pitch, playing helps me.”

Inter will look to build on their return to winning ways when they travel to relegation-threatened Spezia on Friday.