Appointment with the Story. Inter are preparing for the Champions League final with the awareness that they are not the favourites, but also that winning it would project them directly into the Olympus of world football. After all, becoming European champions does not happen every year and can overturn the perception of a club around the globe, both from a technical and brand point of view. It must be said that the mission is complicated, indeed very complicated, in the light of a Manchester City team considered by many to be the best team on the planet, but the Nerazzurri are going through a moment of exceptional form and are ready to do battle to make their dream come true. reality.
Manchester City – Inter (21pm, Canale 5, Sky and Now TV)
The Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, already the scene of the 2005 final between Milan and Liverpool, is thus preparing to host an absolutely unpredictable match at the beginning of the season and certainly not for Guardiola's team, more than accredited to play for the final act of the Champions League. Inter, in this sense, is more like a crasher at a VIP party, who however has the concrete possibility of dancing with the most beautiful, leaving all the others to yearn with envy. In reality, the Nerazzurri have made a very important journey, starting with the group where they eliminated Barcelona and stood up to Bayern, to then continue with Porto, Benfica (group winner with PSG and Juventus) and Milan, in a completely different derby. how easy from a psychological point of view, but it is clear that tonight the bar will rise dramatically, in the presence of a City champions of England (at 360 degrees, given that they won both the First that the F Cup) and determined to conquer the coveted Champions League for the first time. Here, if there is one aspect in which Inter can start up front it is precisely the nervous one given that Guardiola, beyond the facade declarations, is obliged to win, while Inzaghi certainly has less pressure. In 2010 Mourinho, on the eve of the return match against Barcelona, said that his colleague was obsessed with the Cup, while for him it was just a dream: reasoning that can be easily reproposed today, especially as history clearly squeezes the wink at the Nerazzurri, in the face of a City absent from thecompetition roll of honor. But then there's the pitch and there the balance leans back towards the English, thanks to a squad valued overall at one billion euros (1.020 million, to be precise by Transfertmarkt), therefore double (527 million) that of Inter. Numbers that are frightening and which become even more striking considering the starting eleven: Guardiola's is worth 637 million, more than five times compared to Inzaghi's 125. Seen like this, there wouldn't seem to be a game, but football, you know, doesn't always follow economic logic (true, Cardinale?), so Inter will play it all right, in an attempt to write a page of history that would even be indelible.
Inzaghi believes it: "We'll fight inch by inch, we'll need legs, head and heart"
"City are the strongest team in the world, but we arrived here with merit – explained Inzaghi -. We will be on the field eleven against eleven and we want to play our cards: we will fight inch by inch, they will count legs, head and heart. This will be the 57th race of the season for us, a very long journey that has allowed us to get to the final. We had some difficult times growing up going through deserved and undeserved defeats, also losing players for a long time, but the guys were good at uniting, listening little and putting in a crazy effort that brought us to Istanbul. Only now are we understanding what we have done, but we are not relaxed, on the contrary we are very concentrated and we want to try, also because I am lucky to have players who know how to play this type of match. It will be necessary to be clear-headed and manage the details and particulars that make the difference in the finals”.
Lautaro is inspired by Milito: "I hope to do like him"
“It's the last step, we've prepared well and we hope to finish this season in style – thought captain Lautaro -. We are here thanks to ourselves, we got through the group with Bayern and Barcelona and then beat teams like Porto, Benfica and Milan, it's a dream for us but we worked so hard to be here. Did I watch Milito's brace in 2010? I know what he did for this club and in the final against Bayern, I'm proud to be part of this team and I hope I can do like him."
Guardiola: "I feel butterflies in my stomach, great balance will be needed both on and off the pitch"
"Butterflies in the stomach are there and will increase as the final approaches, but I mustn't forget that in the end it's a football match, we have to do what we know, analyze Inter and remember to stay calm - Guardiola thought - . If we win we'll be the strongest team in Europe, otherwise we'll finish second, which isn't bad anyway. It will be important to maintain balance on the pitch, I have seen many Inter matches and I can say that they are masters in defending themselves: should we concede a goal, we mustn't lose our heads, but remember that we only need to score one. If the Champions League is a dream or an obsession? It is absolutely a dream, but in any case to achieve certain goals you also have to be obsessed with them, in the positive sense of the term”.
Manchester City – Inter, the formations: Inzaghi chooses Brozovic and Dzeko, Mkhitaryan and Lukaku on the bench
Filed the words it's time to think about the field, which will see two teams with opposing philosophies face off. On the one hand Guardiola's (sometimes exasperated) tiki-taka, on the other Inzaghi's pragmatism (but without giving up playing), all with the same goal of winning the Champions League and becoming European champions. The Nerazzurri coach's doubts have been known for weeks and concern attack (Dzeko or Lukaku) and midfield (Brozovic or Mkhitaryan). The choices, net of last-minute surprises, fall on the Bosnian and the Croatian, a little for logic (Edin has always played the important matches from the start, Mkhitaryan is recovering from an injury), a lot for tactics: the the idea of weakening the City defense with Dzeko's movements and then throwing the Lukaku weapon has been in Inzaghi's head for some time. Inter will thus face the most important match of the year with a 3-5-2 that will see Onana in goal, Darmian, Acerbi and Bastoni in defense, Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu and Dimarco in midfield, Dzeko and Lautaro in attack . Only one doubt for Guardiola, namely Walker or Aké as right-back: the former has just recovered from an injury, but is a very regular player and it seems unlikely that Pep can give it up today. City will thus seek the first Champions League in its history with a 4-1-4-1 (very fluid, in perfect Guardiola style) with Ederson in goal, Walker, Stones, Ruben Dias and Akanji in the back, Rodri in the midfield, Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan and Grealish behind the lone striker Haaland.
The Nerazzurri are waiting: from the 20 in Istanbul to the San Siro, passing from the Duomo to Piazza Castello
The fans obviously won't play, but they will try to play their part, both in Istanbul and in Milan. There will be 20 at Ataturk, many dressed in blue (as requested by the Curva Nord for the choreography) and ready to push Inter to the feat, the others will be scattered throughout Italy, with the epicenter, of course, in the Lombard capital , which will also be reached from outside in the hope of later enjoying a night of partying. San Siro will open its doors with 46 fans in front of a 400 square meter big screen, after which, if it is a triumph, the Nerazzurri will pour into the main streets, with Piazza Duomo and Piazza Castello at the top of the list.
