Inter-Napoli also means Simone Inzaghi against Antonio Conte, a highly anticipated confrontation between the current Inter Milan coach and his predecessor. La Gazzetta dello Sport interviewed Aleksandar Kolarov, the recent coach for Serbia under 21s and was at Inter Milan for two seasons 2020-21 and 2021-22, when he was coached by both the former Lazio player and the Salento coach. Here are his thoughts on the comparison between the two:
INZAGHI AS A PLAYER – Simone was already my teammate at Lazio from 2007 to 2010: he is a technically strong striker, not as sharp-shooter as his brother Pippo, but smart. A real football aficionado, observing and understanding everything: he was already studying as a coach.
INZAGHI AS A COACH – Then I had him in my last year at Inter when he, just arriving, was still getting his bearings. In recent seasons he has grown substantially, as shown not only by the Champions League final he reached, and the league title he won, but by the maturity, awareness, and identity that Inter possess today, even in Europe. The players are top-tier and the squad is broad, for sure, but Inzaghi brings a lot of his own touch and is good at allowing players to express themselves freely within his tactical design. Simone has found a well-trodden path, but has managed to add.
CONTE – Antonio has completely upended Inter: changing its mentality, professionalism, work ethic, and raising the bar significantly. From a fixed position, Inter is back to winning. His thorough work is still evident today. In rebuilding,
no one is like him. He is meticulous in the care of details and extremely good at targeting the weak points of opponents. He is direct and fair in relationships: you always know what he thinks of you.
BEHAVIORS – Conte had to be tougher to turn the page quickly. Simone had to manage a group that had already won. Let’s say that their characters matched well with the needs of the two phases. What would I take from both? From Inzaghi, the intelligence and the cunning in managing people and that touch of good luck that often accompanies him. From Antonio, his impressive winning mentality.
