Inter and Milan were going toe to toe and stride for stride throughout the entire 2021/22 season, but it was the Rossoneri to win the Serie A title in the end. Simone Inzaghi’s side cruised past bottom-half Sampdoria 3-0 on the final day, unfortunately to no avail, as they eventually finished runners-up to Stefano Pioli’s team.
Led by Antonio Conte, Inter arrested Juventus’ decade-long reign of supremacy in Serie A last season. Inzaghi, who took over the managerial reins last summer, hoped to navigate the Nerazzurri to their second successive Scudetto for the first time in more than ten years.
Even though Inter started the season as leading candidates to lift the crown, they fell two points short of Milan, who equaled their titles tally at 19. Looking back to the start of the calendar year, when they were clearly in front, Inzaghi recognizes that a heavyweight Champions League last-16 tie against Liverpool put a significant dent into his side’s Scudetto bid.
“The two-legged tie against Liverpool had an effect over our bad period, but 84 points is still a lot. Long and demanding journey. Two trophies, and in the Champions League, we lost against Real and Liverpool. But I have to be consistent and say that nobody likes finishing second,” he said, as relayed by TUTTOmercatoWEB.
Indeed, Inter went winless in all four Serie A matches in February (D2, L2), including a season-defining 2-1 defeat to Milan in which they threw away a half-time lead. Despite hitting the ground running since the start of March, the Nerazzurri never managed to regain firm control at the top ever again.
Inter failed to cope with Milan’s ferocious pace down the final stretch, but they still have two domestic trophies to ease their pain. Juventus fell victim to Inzaghi’s hunger for success as the Nerazzurri overcame fierce rivals in the Supercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia finals.
So Inzaghi’s maiden season in charge was not a complete waste by any stretch of the imagination, suggesting the ex-Lazio boss could achieve greatness in the future. The domestic cup competition triumphs could well lay down the foundation for a bright Inter future, as Inzaghi congratulated his men for an ‘excellent season.’
“Congratulations to the squad for an excellent season that could have been extraordinary with the Scudetto. Congratulations to Milan for the 86 points, but also for us for getting 84 points. I’m proud of this group, we’ve accomplished great things, just like Milan.
“I applaud my team. In the next few days, we’ll analyse where we could have done better and how we could have won the Scudetto.”