Mid-table Inter have Champions League dream - Pioli

The 51-year-old Italian replaced sacked Dutchman Frank de Boer on Tuesday with the club ninth in Serie A having lost five of their 12 matches.

Mid-table Inter have Champions League dream - Pioli

(Reuters)





"The objective is to return to the Champions League and we have plenty of time to do that," Pioli told a news conference on Thursday.

"The owners and president deserve that. We know it's not going to be easy and that we'll need to work hard every day."

Inter have won three European Cups, the last time under Jose Mourinho in 2010, but have not qualified for the Champions League in the last five years.

They need to finish in the top two this season to claim an automatic berth. Third place earns a position in the Champions League preliminary round.

Inter are also staring at elimination from the Europa League, occupying last place in Group K with three points from four matches.

Pioli said the squad would have to start matching the intensity of their fans.

"We will need to play with great passion, the passion that our supporters have," he explained.

Pioli's first match in charge is on Nov. 20 against local rivals AC Milan who are third in the table.

Chinese electronics retailer Suning bought almost 70 percent of Inter for 270 million euros ($298 million) in June.





(Reporting by Silvia Recchimuzzi in Gdynia; Editing by Tony Jimenez)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world