Inzaghi: I will not leave Al-Hilal. And there is no coach in the world like me
Simone Inzaghi, the head coach of Al-Hilal, confirmed that he will not leave his position after the end of the current season, expressing his happiness to work in the Saudi league, denying going to him for money.
Some reports had talked about the possibility of Inzagi leaving Al-Hilal after the end of the current season, especially after the AFC Champions League's farewell to the elite from the eighth round of the final against Qatar's Al-Sadd.
Inzaghi told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport: "It seems to me that everyone is happy with my presence, we have reached the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup, we are still competing for the league by 5 points, and we have the Copa del Rey final."
"The most important thing is that we didn't lose a game in the original time this season, as our exit from Asia was on penalties, I don't think there is a coach in the world who is still undefeated at the moment."
Regarding some news that linked him to leading Milan or the Italian national team in the coming period, Inzaghi said: "I don't think about it now," adding: "I am still in my one-year contract with Al-Hilal, and I am very excited, this experience develops me personally and professionally."
"Money is not the priority, I came to experience a new reality, and to challenge myself in a different environment, fortunately I never suffered from financial problems," he continued.
"The offer convinced me, I'm happy here, I don't feel nostalgic for Italy at the moment, my family is with me, and the system here is perfect, even at the club, and I'm learning English too."
Champions League final
Inzaghi took over Al-Hilal in June last year, a few days after Inter Milan's Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain with a clean sheet.
Inzaghi said of that game: "You can't have regrets in sports, especially if you come second behind opponents who have achieved great things, I have won a lot in four years (with Inter Milan), and I am satisfied with the results."
"I don't know if we can do more, but we've reached the Champions League final twice, in any case, I accept criticism as long as it's directed at me and not at the players, they gave me everything they had."
"We went into the game with a low energy physically and mentally, and this is not an excuse but a fact, the disappointment of losing the league affected us and undermined our self-confidence," he continued, "Paris Saint-Germain is a great team, they controlled the final, while we tried to respond but we collapsed."
"My departure was decided two days after the final at (Pepe) Marotta's house, I felt that the period was over, if we had won the Champions League, I would have stayed at Inter," Inzaghi said.
Accusations of favoritism
Inzaghi commented on the accusations against Inter Milan regarding the appointment of their favorite referees last season, despite losing the Italian league by a point to Napoli.
"I was shocked; Inter lost a lot of points last season because of refereeing errors, in the league and in the Super League," the Italian coach said, adding: "It's surprising that we are thrown into a situation where we are portrayed as if we have benefited, when in fact we have been wronged."
"How can anyone think there is a conspiracy? It's been a bad season for us, I've always respected the work of the referees, I don't want to talk about Napoli who won the title with integrity, but there is still a feeling that something has been taken away from us."
"I'm not accusing anyone, I'm not questioning good intentions, let's just say we weren't lucky, everything went against us, there's still disappointment that won't go away, losing the title by one point is painful.