You heard it here first. Inter Milan will win the Champions League final and now, I am going to explain why, but first let’s look at why I don’t think PSG will.
Yes, the French champions have won Ligue 1 by 16 points to Marseille and are in the domestic cup final against Reims – probably a forgone conclusion, which means they will be looking at a potential and – unprecedented treble. And, for the first time, they look like a team, despite having no ‘superstars’ to speak of.
They proved this in their tie against Liverpool – especially at Anfield, where they played a textbook game and also worked the percentages well against what was a tricky Arsenal side that knocked out Real Madrid. But, alas, football doesn’t work like that.
Yes, now I think you can say, they have finally arrived on the European scene and made a statement, but their opposition (with a class manager who knows what he’s doing) takes the word ‘effective’ to the next level.
What Sells Inter Milan?
So, let me start with the boss – Simeone Inzaghi. Understated as a player, in the shadow of his trophy-collecting brother Filippo (who ironically never pulled up trees as manager of AC Milan – who he won trophies with) and,beloved by Lazio fans for being a ‘one-club man’.
He started with humble roots as a manager (compared to his brother), but has gradually worked his way up, proving that he knows his stuff. For me, he has earned the right to be the manager of Inter and is probably the best manager they have had since Jose Mourinho.
To mastermind a victory in the semi-final against Barcelona (for me, probably the best team in the competition this season), was spectacular and I think it had some resemblence to the way Mourinho did it – albet with more goals.
They don’t look like a tyical Italian team either. Yes, defensively, they can be suspect, but Simeone – unlike any other Italian manager I can think of over the last decade – likes attacking football and, for me, he plays to the team’s strengths.
In Lautaro Martinez, they have who I have thought for the last two or three seasons is one of the best strikers in the world – a natural finisher, great in one-on-one situations and is dangerous if given space. He is vying to add a Champions League winners medal to his World Cup winners medal with Argentina, so I think the PSG backline are in for one heck of a job.
His strike partner, Marcus Thuram, who I actually didn’t think would end up there, is also dangerous – the ultimate athlete, great with the ball at his feet and has an eye for goal. In Nico Barella (linked with a move to the Premier League for a number of seasons), they have one of the best attacking midfielders on the continent and he is more than capable of unpicking the lock.
At the back, Alessandro Bastoni is probably the long-awaited heir to Alessandro Nesta in the Italy national side and his centre-back partner, Stefan de Vrij makes it a very solid base.