Boban: “Inter are lacking something. Mourinho has lost himself in defensive football”

The Croatian was speaking on Sky about Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Inter in the Champions League.

Zvonimir Boban, the former AC Milan and Croatia midfielder, ex-Milan director and current Dinamo Zagreb president, spoke to Sky Sport about Inter’s away defeat to Real Madrid on matchday one of the Champions League league phase. These were his comments.

“The impression Inter give in Europe is that they are missing something if they want to compete with the biggest clubs. That was clear again tonight, against a strange and disorganised Real side, a team without balance but with enormous quality in attack, who in the end won the game after creating so many chances. Inter had their opportunities too and, on the other hand, I believe Inter can take the display against Real as proof of personality, and also of a certain strength in the side, because they went to the Bernabeu and dominated the first half. Not the second half, though, and Real could have gone further ahead. In the first half Inter were in the contest, but they needed precision. At the highest level, that is what makes the difference. Inter were not precise. In the end Real won with some merit, but a draw would have been the fairer result.”

He then spoke about Mourinho: “Mourinho has to prove that he can recover everything he has lost in recent years, from what we have seen. We have seen a Mourinho who is much more unfocused and different, and who has never again played football the way he once did. He has lost himself in defensive football, in breaking others down and never in building a game that can maintain the level from before. I now see him as more focused and sharper. Mature. He is handling this new experience well. Barcelona, however, are now far ahead of Real.”