Marotta: Inter Needs Champions League Experience, No Easy Opponents

Inter President Beppe Marotta emphasized that "there are no easy teams" in the Champions League and that the club must "learn the lessons" from their past performances, particularly ahead of their match against Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Italian club has struggled in the Champions League recently, losing seven of their last eight games, despite reaching the final in 2023 and 2025.

Marotta noted a significant "cultural growth" among clubs that were once considered weaker, stating that they are now better prepared tactically and organizationally.

"Quality alone is not enough anymore; it must be accompanied by intensity, strength, and a series of values," Marotta told Sky Sport Italia. He pointed to individual errors in their losses to Real Madrid and Club Brugge as costly mistakes that should not be repeated.

The president acknowledged the team's current defensive challenges due to injuries and player departures, but stressed that the entire team must contribute to defensive efforts, not just the defenders.

Marotta's comments highlight Inter's need to approach each Champions League game with full seriousness and tactical awareness, recognizing the increased competitiveness of all opponents in the tournament.

Marotta: Inter Must Learn Champions League Lessons, No Easy Games

Inter President Beppe Marotta warns ‘there are no easy teams’ and they must ‘learn the lessons’ of their Champions League games when hosting Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Nerazzurri won the domestic double last season of Scudetto and Coppa Italia, but their Champions League record has been dismal, losing seven of their last eight matches in the competition. This is particularly striking considering the club reached the Final in 2023 and 2025.

“We want the points too, but I feel that we need to point out the last 10 years as seen a cultural growth of the clubs who were second and third seeds in terms of performance and tactical organisation,” Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.

“They are well-prepared, and that is the difference from previous years. That is also true at international level, there are no easy teams you can walk over anymore like in the 1980s.

“Quality alone is not enough anymore, it must be accompanied by intensity, strength and a series of values.”

Individual errors proved costly in the 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid and the 4-3 home loss to Club Brugge, where they conceded goals far too cheaply.

“Clearly, we must learn the lessons of the first two games. We struggled for much of the Club Brugge match, and this ought to show us how to approach a team that on paper is inferior, but can cause problems if underestimated,” added Marotta.

Lautaro Martinez will be out for several weeks, with Benjamin Pavard, Curtis Jones and John Stones also on the treatment table.

It was pointed out to the Inter President that they are currently lacking a leader in defence who can set the tempo and get everyone moving simultaneously.

“I agree, this is certainly not an alibi, but we lost four players in that area and replacing them was by no means easy,” replied Marotta.

“Some had reached a certain age, while Denzel Dumfries went to Real Madrid. Having said that, I don’t feel we should put all the blame on the defenders, as the rest of the team has to work to help out too.”