Roy Hodgson concedes that it was challenging to handle Ronaldo and other prominent athletes during his time as a manager at Inter Milan.

Roy Hodgson, the current Crystal Palace boss, has opened up about his time as Inter Milan manager, admitting that he “should have handled it better.” Hodgson has had a successful career as a manager, with previous stints at clubs such as Malmö, Copenhagen, Fulham, and Liverpool. However, his time at Inter Milan from 1995 to 1997 and a brief caretaker stint in 1999 was not as successful.

Despite having a star-studded squad that included players like Ronaldo, Roberto Baggio, and Diego Simeone, Hodgson was unable to turn Inter’s fortunes around. In an interview with TNT Sports, he suggested that the presence of such big-name players may have actually been detrimental to the team.

Hodgson said, “That was a difficult time. I don’t think I handled it very well to be perfectly honest. There were a lot of problems within the dressing room, partly because Ronaldo had his group, and Diego Simeone had his group. I certainly didn’t manage that well.”

He also mentioned that his relationship with Ronaldo was strained, saying, “Most of the time I got the feeling that Ronaldo didn’t have much time for me, and I was certainly quite often angry with him for certain aspects of his behavior.” However, he added that their meetings since then have been pleasant.

Hodgson also pointed out the passionate fans of Inter Milan as a reason for his difficult stint at the club. He claimed that there were players who wanted to avoid playing at the San Siro due to the potential negative reception from the crowd.

Reflecting on his time at Inter Milan, Hodgson admitted that he should have approached the job differently. He said, “I probably wanted to do too much – I’m going to come in now and I’m going to change all this around. Whereas it was an impossible task. I should have come in and made certain that things were a bit calmer than they were, I poured oil on the waters rather than calming them.”

In conclusion, Hodgson acknowledged that his second stint as Inter Milan manager was challenging and that he could have handled it better. However, he has since had a successful career and is currently focused on his role at Crystal Palace.

In other news, Arsenal will be facing Crystal Palace in an upcoming match. The game will be broadcasted live on TNT Sports 1 and ultimate, with coverage starting at 11:00 on Saturday, January 20, ahead of kick-off at 12:30. Fans can subscribe to TNT Sports through various TV platforms such as BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media. To find local establishments showing TNT Sports, fans can use the Pub Finder tool.