Wesley Sneijder, who lifted the treble with Inter under Jose Mourinho, believes the current side has the ability to match what the Nerazzurri achieved more than a decade ago. The Dutch icon thinks Inter would have been deserved winners if they edged Manchester City in last season’s UEFA Champions League final.
In an exclusive with La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Calciomercato), the former Nerazzurri playmaker took stock of Simone Inzaghi’s Inter.
“I had no doubts, this is the team that put a giant like Manchester City in difficulty and would have deserved to win the Champions League just a few months ago. That match, more than a regret, must be a source of pride for everyone. And since that evening Inter have even more confidence in themselves, they know that thanks to their play they can beat any rival.”
According to Sneijder, there is a good balance of young and old within the squad.
“I’m not surprised because there is a solid structure, but the rest is thanks to a very good and prepared coach like Simone Inzaghi. It’s true that players who made the club’s history have left, but the club has chosen carefully. He found a nice balance of old and young.”
Sneijder spoke of Inter’s strong midfielder, which was reinforced in the summer with the additions of Davide Frattesi and Davy Klaassen.
“Inter have a lot of variety, it’s true. There are players with great technique and intelligence like Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but also the dynamism of Nicolò Barella. Then there is Frattesi, another great coup. Kristjan Asllani is also developing well and has great prospects. And don’t forget Klaassen, who was always decisive at Ajax and in our national team. Among other things, I like that Inter have added another Dutchman: the more the merrier.”
Inter face Real Sociedad in their UCL Group D opener at the Estadio de Anoeta on Thursday. The Nerazzurri have won just one – a 5-1 victory over Valencia in 2004/05 – of their 13 UCL away games against Spanish sides, drawing two and losing 10 in the process.
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