Former Inter president Massimo Moratti has admitted it was a mistake to replace Jose Mourinho with Rafael Benitez when the Portuguese coach left the club for Real Madrid in 2010.
Mourinho had just won the treble with Inter when he departed for the Spanish capital, ending a two-year association with the Italian giants.
"We went after the wrong coach," Moratti told reporters.
"Benitez was alert and prepared, a great connoisseur of football, but there was a huge difference in terms of his character and how he communicated with club.
"Benitez felt the weight of wanting to win everything, but asked that everything that happened in the past be forgotten.
"We were afraid to look back and be proud of what we had done.
"We could not celebrate, and so there was no longer the enthusiasm of the previous season."
Benitez, who is managing Newcastle United in the Premier League, was appointed as Inter coach in June 2010 and sacked in December, after turning Mourinho's treble winners into hopeless title chasers, 13 points off the league leaders.
"We believe and we remain hopeful," Moratti said. "Mancini [battled back] in England … and he can do it again."
