Inter were due to visit Bologna in Serie A on 17 October, with the match set for the Stadio Dall’Ara at 17.00 UK time. Before the game, president Beppe Marotta told DAZN Italia that Inter had to improve after two Champions League defeats and said Oaktree had shown with action and words that Inter were in good hands.
Match context
Inter went into the match joint top of the Serie A table with Lazio. They suffered a 4-3 home defeat to Club Brugge in the Champions League and have lost both their matches in the competition.
Captain Lautaro Martinez was ruled out for a month with a thigh strain. Benjamin Pavard also joins Curtis Jones and John Stones on the treatment table.
Marotta on Inter's recent defeats
Inter President Marotta told DAZN Italia: "Those clubs who until recently were in the third or fourth tier of the Champions League have improved their football culture, which means they are more organised, well-prepared, and consequently they are no pushovers."
Inter President Marotta told DAZN Italia: "If you look at the statistics, last season Paris Saint-Germain lost the first three games, recovered to get into the play-offs, and went on to win the trophy. Clearly, we need to learn from these two defeats, analyse what went wrong, and try to improve going forward."
Selection and the coach
Asked whether the problem went wider than goalkeeper Josep Martinez, who faced more criticism after the Club Brugge defeat, Inter President Marotta told DAZN Italia: "This question is for the coach, who has the duty and responsibility of setting out the team, but we have always shown full faith in our players and Cristian Chivu evaluates the players up close throughout the week, so knows better than us all what form they are in." He added: "A club must also push players to give their best, there is always margin for improvement, and we absolutely must do better."
What he said about Oaktree
Football Italia noted reports that some Qatari investors are eager to get involved in Inter and their owners Oaktree. Inter President Marotta told DAZN Italia: "I run the club, this is not part of my purview, but I can say Oaktree have shown with action and words that Inter are in good hands. They invested in the training ground and the stadium, we are in solid hands."
Inter President Marotta told DAZN Italia: "I don’t know what decision they will make, but they do make decisions for the best of Inter, considering the past, present and future of this club."