Capello: Inter not humble enough in Serie A, Barcelona’s quality ‘scary’

Ex-Milan and Juventus coach Fabio Capello feels Inter ‘lacked humility’ in Serie A this season and is scared by Barcelona’s quality and Robert Lewandowski’s potential return in the Champions.

Capello released an interview with La Gazzetta Dello Sport on Sunday following Inter and Napoli‘s victories.

Both sides secured 1-0 wins, which means the Partenopei remain at the top of the table with a three-point lead over the Nerazzurri and three games remaining.

Inzaghi’s men were seen as the favourites to win the title this season, but recent poor results allowed Napoli to climb back to the top.

The Nerazzurri dreamt of a treble until a couple of weeks ago, before a Coppa Italia exit against Milan and back-to-back Serie A defeats against Bologna and Roma.

“More than anything, I think they lacked humility, or maybe they focused too much on the Champions,” Capello said.

Capello explains Inter’s Serie A mistake

“Inter are the strongest team in Italy, and they had a three-point lead at one point. Then, Inzaghi heavily rotated, and the players showed less desire. Some opponents were underestimated. It must be said that there is more pressure today compared to my time, especially when it comes to media coverage and social media. It’s more difficult for a footballer to have mental energy.”

Capello remains the only Italian coach to have won Serie A and the Champions in the same season. It happened in 1993-94 at Milan. What was his secret at that time?

“Mental resilience. Back then, squad rotation didn’t exist. Teams were not deep, and we could not make five substitutions,” he replied.

“The concept of resting didn’t exist. The best players always took to the field, unless they had a physical problem. But this is not why my Milan had more energy; I had champions with the right mentality. Players were humble despite all their victories. They were never settled and approached every game like a final.”

Inter will host Barcelona at San Siro on Tuesday in the second leg of the Champions semifinal. The first leg in Spain ended in a 3-3 draw earlier this week.

“It’s 50-50. The Blaugrana’s great quality scares me, and Lewandowski’s possible return would make the difference,” Capello concluded.