Yahoo Sports Inter Milan & Poland Star Declares ‘We Can Suffer To Win’ After Gritty Champions League Triumph Vs Arsenal
Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zielinski feels the Nerazzurri showed they can “suffer to win” with their Champions League victory over Arsenal.
The Polish international spoke to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia after the match, via FCInterNews.
Inter kept their fourth clean sheet in four Champions League matches yesterday.
And it certainly wasn’t easy for them.
The Nerazzurri were up against an Arsenal team who are one of the strongest in Europe.
And in the second half of yesterday’s match, the Gunners were pushing with everything they had to try and find a response to Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty on the stroke of halftime.
Arsenal dominated possession in the second half. They circulated the ball around the Inter half, probing for opportunities.
But the decisive moment never came for Mikel Arteta’s team.
This owed to a highly disciplined defensive approach by Inter.
The Nerazzurri maintained a defensive shape that allowed them to put pressure on the ball in select moments without ever overcommitting and leaving gaps.
That approach required great patience and tactical intelligence from Inter.
But it also took a lot of physical sacrifice. The Nerazzurri team had to run hard to keep their defensive shape, and put their bodies on the line with numerous challenges and clearances.
Piotr Zielinski Declares “Inter Can Suffer To Win” After Champions League Victory Vs Arsenal
“Sometimes we have to win matches like this,” said Inter midfielder Zielinski after the final whistle.
“Not always playing nice football.”
“Today we had to suffer against a very strong team,” the Polish international admitted. “But in the end we got what we wanted.
“We won and we’re satisfied with what we did,” Zielinski said.
“And with the points we have in the table.”
The former Napoli midfielder noted that “We’ve already faced two teams who are capable of winning the Champions League.”
The Nerazzurri had gotten a 0-0 draw away to Manchester City in their first match of the season in the competition.
“I hope that we can go as far as possible,” Zielinski said. “Because we have a lot of quality.”
“We have top players. And we’re strong as a team.”
“Despite having to suffer a lot we won,” the 30-year-old said. “And that’s a quality that a great team needs.”
“We’ll try to go all the way in all competitions.”
And Zielinski also answered a question of whether he’ll celebrate if he scores against his former team Napoli on Sunday.
“Of course not,” he said. “Out of respect for Napoli.”
“But I still hope to win.”
