Sommer: "Balance and energy: this team works very hard"

It's the eve of Union Saint-Gilloise vs. Inter, matchday three of the League Phase of the Champions League 2025/26. Ahead of the match, the Inter Goalkeeper Yann Sommer spoke in a press conference alongside Cristian Chivu:

The win against Roma was also down to your performance: what is the mood like in the dressing room? "The mood has always been good, we had a difficult start but we spoke as a group with the Coach and Staff, talking about the need to remain calm, and now we're in a better situation. The last match was also important for the mood, the match tomorrow will also be important".

What is the main thing that has helped stabilise the defence after Juventus 4-3 Inter? How much has Akanji helped? "Against Juventus, I made two mistakes myself, it happens. We've struck a good balance in recent months, this is very important. Manuel has brought stability to the team with his quality, we're really happy to have him, but the whole team is working well and defending very solidly together, with an incredible energy. This is the secret of the win against Roma: we have to do the same in the next matches".

How do you see things from the goal now that the Inter defence is higher? "For me it also brings a bit of a change to my position. I like how we defended in the last three games, we're playing aggressively and recovering the ball straight away, when we're higher we have less space to cover to recover the possession and I like this a lot. It's the sign of great teamwork, but we also showed that we can sit deep like against Roma, this doesn't change for us".

Are you all a bit more relaxed or do you basically feel a bit more secure compared to a month ago? "I don't like to think of it as being secure or calm, we must do everything to win. We are not calm , we have some important goals for the season ahead and are trying to win every game. It's never easy, we have to work hard for every point, and we know this".

What do you know about Union? "We prepare ourselves very well when it comes to the opposition, I didn't know much about them beforehand but now I know that they're a good side and have character. They have a new Coach, who is tactically very intelligent: it will be an interesting match against a strong team". Has the disappointment of last year become a source of motivation? "Certainly: last year was tough for everyone, but a good team picks itself back up like we have done. We also have a new Coach and we're working a lot to do even better this year: we work from match to match and I am convinced that, with this team, there are always good chances to win titles".