On the eve of the Women’s Champions League clash against OL Lyonnes, Sassarini spoke to the microphones of Inter TV to present tomorrow evening’s match at the Parc OL. The Inter Women coach framed the match with a reflective tone, balancing awareness of the difficulties with the desire to test themselves.
“It’s a match that brings out great feelings,” said Sassarini. “When we managed to get through the preliminary round against Wolfsburg, there was real joy in going to play in these stadiums. After seeing the schedule, being here now gives us even more satisfaction. We know that 12 teams go through and we’re also looking at the standings, we know how many points we might need to advance. It will be a match where I’m curious to see our value against a team that has won the Champions League eight times, played in last year’s final, and has scored 6 or 7 goals in each of their last matches—I’m very curious.”
The coach then drew attention to the path the team has built, also mentioning last Sunday’s misstep in Naples. “The team has always done well, then there’s the match where you can’t score, like last Sunday in Naples: we’re in good shape, but the pace in the Champions League is different. We need to raise the bar, understand the moments when we can strike the opponent and those when we need to know how to suffer.”
On a tactical and mental level, Sassarini outlined the approach he expects from his players: “I’d like to see a team that wants to surprise, knowing the complexities and difficulties of the match, but that must be our nature. We started at the beginning of the year with the girls to build a precise defensive system that starts with high pressing and defending the box. There’s no worry, there’s a desire to show who we are by trying to play our game, with order and a logical thread, knowing that their qualities are world-class.”
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