City and Inter will compete in Istanbul for the highest trophy in European sports in the upcoming Champions League final. City has never taken home the Champions League trophy, while Inter last did so in 2010 after defeating Bayern. Inter has recently been one of the most popular football teams, but it will be difficult to halt City in their quest for a treble.
When considering the tactical challenges Guardiola and Simone Inzaghi will face, it becomes clear how intriguing a chess match this will be, with Inter’s defence attempting to counter one of the best attacks to ever play the game of football. But in the future, what must each team do to ensure victory?
Inter can win if they…
1.Manage the midfield
The greatest method to slow down City is to match up with them in midfield because they are a team that can stop you no matter what you try to do. Inter is a squad that can do that because of their well-organized defence and balanced midfield. Inzaghi has a solid midfield lineup that includes Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, and Hakan Calhanoglu, and it will only grow deeper if Henrikh Mkhitaryan is available for the game.
Each midfielder has a unique set of skills, but they are all willing to play defence and give up offensive production for the good of the team. Since Guardiola has a midfielder for every circumstance and there is no real way to stop them all, things like these are essential to slowing down City’s offence. Awareness is essential because Ilkay Gundogan can score a hat trick and Rodri can launch rockets from outside the box if a team is concentrating on Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne. The game will be won or lost depending on how well you use your possession and when you press.
2.Andre Onana is a tall person.
Since no club can really stop City, Inter’s response when City manages to breach their defence will be crucial. For this team, that is where Onana excels under pressure. In 1080 minutes of Champions League action, Onana has eight clean sheets while making 44 saves. Despite giving up less than a goal per game, Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid leads all goalkeepers with 25 saves from shots that were taken within the penalty area. These stops in the box demonstrate that Onana has Inter’s back when opponents lag behind them, allowing the defence to play more aggressively because they have faith in their custodian to maintain order.
These are reasons why Onana took over for long-standing keeper Samir Handanovic during the season despite the latter being the club captain. Onana will need to be on his game and then some against Manchester City but based on how the season has gone, that’s expected.
3. Involve Romelu Lukaku
The most important choice Inzaghi must make is between Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku as his starting striker. Even though they both work well with Lautaro Martinez, they each add something unique to the game. Although City doesn’t let the ball to be in the air very often, where Inter can use him to his best potential, Dzeko’s strength and ability on corner kicks can be helpful in games. Despite a sluggish start to his Inter comeback, Lukaku has been a vital part of the team lately, scoring and setting up significant goals for the team.
With his confidence and all-around game right now, Lukaku forces City to step up and defend Inter differently which creates space for Martinez to work into. With the strength of the midfielders, if there’s space to exploit, attackers will be found and Lukaku helps that happen. After Onana, he’s one of the biggest x-factors in this game.
Manchester City can win if they…
1. Maintain simplicity
Guardiaola’s lineup selections are constantly scrutinised because, in most cases, Manchester City can only defeat themselves. Even if City boasts the strongest skill roster in the world, there is always a potential that the club could overthink things and make a crucial error in a game of this magnitude if they are placed in unfamiliar situations. Ederson, Ake, Dias, Akanji, Stones, Rodri, Gundogan, de Bruyne, Grealish, Silva, and Haaland make form Pep Guardiola’s starting eleven if he’s healthy.
That’s the lineup that got the team here and it’s the same one that can also get them over the line for the Champions League trophy. There are so many options of ways that City can set up to defeat a team when they come out like this and despite Inter being soundly setup, they’d get pulled apart if City are at their best.
2. Haaland is in charge.
Getting goals is fantastic, but having Haaland around is much better. He is not at all a selfish striker; instead, his runs create space for the team as a whole. He has it all, including the ability to head the ball over opponents, curl dangerous shots into the box, and lay off for his teammates. In all competitions, Haaland has tallied 52 goals and provided nine assists, but the unsettling fact is that he was capable of scoring even more.
Haaland is dangerman in this game and Inter has to devote quite a large portion of the team defense to stopping him. If they don’t, Haaland will go and score a hat trick which is why there’s truly no way to defend City. Stop the midfield and you still have to make sure that the Norwegian doesn’t get.
3. Ederson avoids self-harm.
Back to City being the only team capable of defeating City, only Ederson is capable of defeating Ederson. Ederson, a custodian who excels at making accurate passes out of the back and huge saves when necessary, occasionally makes the mistake of attempting to do too much. Having the ball and making a showy play rather than just clearing the area, or simply nodding off when City is in possession of the ball and failing to make the one save he is required to make per game.
During the Champions League final, Ederson has to be locked in for all 90 mintues which should seem like a simple thing but something that hasn’t happened at times this season. Bring the best to Istanbul and it’s hard to see a situation where Manchester City doesn’t leave with a victory.