Sacchi: Inter can win Champions League, Juve and Milan must ‘wake up’

FERRARA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 23: Arrigo Sacchi former coach of Italian National team attends the Serie A match between Spal and SSC Napoli at Stadio Paolo Mazza on September 23, 2017 in Ferrara, Italy. (Photo by Mario Carlini / Iguana Press/Getty Images)

Former Milan and Italy coach Arrigo Sacchi believes Inter can fight to win the Champions League but is disappointed by Juventus and Milan: ‘The Rossoneri’s history deserves much more…’

The league phase of the Champions League ended on Wednesday night, seeing Inter finish in the top eight and Juventus, Milan and Atalanta qualify for the playoff knockout. Bianconeri, Rossoneri and La Dea will learn their opponents in the next round during the draw on Friday.

Inter secured a comfortable 3-0 win over Monaco last night, seeing Lautaro Martinez score a hat-trick at San Siro.

“Inter can fight to win the Champions League,” Sacchi wrote in his Gazzetta dello Sport column.

“This was demonstrated by their convincing victory over Monaco, with a Lautaro Martinez hat-trick, and by the entire journey they’ve made in Europe. A complete, experienced team full of talent (and what a great striker Lautaro is!) and with a strong spirit of sacrifice.”

Sacchi: Inter can win Champions League, Juve and Milan must ‘wake up’

On the other hand, Juventus and Milan lost to Benfica and Dinamo Zagreb, respectively, failing to finish in the top eight.

“Milan have disappointed me once again,” said Sacchi.

“It was a performance to forget. But the problem here is that mistakes have been made since the start of the season, and now fixing them has become difficult. In my opinion, the management needs to reflect on what’s been done because Milan’s history deserves much more than what we are currently seeing. And please, let’s not blame Sergio Conceição, who has just arrived.

“Juventus are in a phase of dangerous regression,” continued the ex-Azzurri coach.

“They can’t find the path that would lead to a total cultural revolution. Thiago Motta is a good coach; he showed it at Bologna last season, and I believe he will manage to make an impact in the long run, but I understand the frustration of the fans who want to see a more competitive team.”

Atalanta are also out of the top eight, but their 2-2 draw at Barcelona was surely more positive than Juventus and Milan’s results.

“Atalanta are now a European reality, and for this, we must build a monument to the club, the coach, who is a true master, and the players who follow him,” said Sacchi.

“The draw in Barcelona is proof of this feeling. The Bergamaschi play with courage against everyone, they’re not afraid, they fight, they put in the effort, and in the end, they earn applause. Rightfully so, I might add. It’s a shame for Bologna, but we couldn’t expect the moon from a team that wasn’t equipped to compete against the continent’s top teams. In any case, the Rossoblù have always tried to play their matches with courage and humility, and that’s something worth highlighting.”

Bologna picked up a 1-1 draw away at Sporting CP last night, but they had already been eliminated from the competition with a game to spare.

The Rossoblu ended the league phase with six points.