The champions of Italy are tired and in crisis, Inzaghi has to deploy a team convinced of playing it, as he did this year in Europe
There is a residential complex, where the Sarrià stadium once stood up in 1997. The memory of Italy-Brazil 3-2, Mundial ’82 is indestructible. There was no more desperate eve than that. The unwatchable Italy of the first part of the tournament against the gods of football: Zico, Falcao, Socrates … Carmelo well summarized the expectations of the Italians: “We have no escape. They have grace, we Grazians”. Instead, grace took place on Pablito Rossi’s hair who marked a Trinity and sent the gods home. Simone Inzaghi could also awaken the memory in the pre-match, to convince his who does not exist without hope, especially in Barcelona. After Soulé’s goal, the Nerazzurri walked everyone with his head down, as seminarians in prayer, resigned more than angry, convinced that he was making a destiny: Bologna, Milan, Rome … This is the first task of Inzaghi: to extirpate the resignation, more harmful to tiredness, and deploy a team convinced of still having an open destiny and cards to play, even if Barcelona is better, Euphoric for the Clasico just won and plays from strapviorito.
Presumption
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The presumption is a growth pimple, as young people you feel masters of the world. This barbed Barça, master of the Liga, can run in front of an Inter date for dead. In the quarterfinals, after the 4-0 of the first leg, the Catalans ran badly at Dortmund (1-3). Not surprisingly, yesterday at the conference, the coach Flick, who nose the risk, filled Inter (“great defense, quality, strong strikers …”) and repeated a word more than the others: concentration. He turned to journalists, but he talked to his players: “Enter with the right head because we have not yet won. Forget their 3 defeats. These are Italian. I am German and I know something about it”.
Restarts
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The tactical chessboard also leaves margins to hope. If he did not revive the memory of Sarrià, Certainly Inzaghi showed the images of Barcelona-Celta Vigo on Easter Eve. Poderosa Blaugrana comeback from 1-3 to 4-3, but those 3 goals the Celta scored almost all of them in the same way, piercing a unbalanced team and flying in the open field. And in restart it could have scored 2 or 3. Barça is a frightening goal machine, he scored more than all in the Champions League (37) and most of all in the Liga (76): the sum ago 113. A flood. Recovery line of the ball, pitches to re -aggress, touches in the opposing area … the virtuous rankings, of which it occupies the very first places, tell a team thrown forward. A very large mentality that, as a side effect, has the risk of tactical imbalance. At the top of the condition, Dumfries, Dimarco, Thuram and Lautaro would have been promised of happiness. We will see tonight how much strength will have the convalescents Dumfries and Thuram to ride in the spaces that De Jong and Pedri are not always able to cover. The challenge will depend a lot on this answer. But Frattesi in progress could also hurt, as at the Allianz Arena.
Wall
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But the first and necessary condition to be able to leave is to be able to stop Barça’s attacks. We do not run away: the happiness of Inter necessarily goes from a great defensive performance, as in Munich, as in Barcelona and London (Chelsea) in the year of the Triplete. The absence of Lewandowski, a goal beast, already at 36, between Liga and Champions, is a relief, but up to a certain point. Acerbi, which is exalted if it has a physical reference like Haaland, could find difficulties against the most mobile Ferran Torres who still has the easy goal. Unfortunately Inzaghi cannot oppose the best Dimarco to the brazen talent of Lamine Yamal. Raphinha (15 goals in the Liga, 12 in the Champions League) is experiencing his gold season. The central percussion of Olmo are always sharpened. The Nerazzurri defense will have to bother like the plumber in that 80’s commercial that placed taps in every gushing of water. But he has the knowledge to do it, as long as he recovering the fierce concentration of monk. In the Champions League, no one has collected more inter Clean Sheet.
Biscione
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At this point, you are wondering: but the Inter of the last games, emptied and depressed, is able to support such a game, also considering that Barça has much more solid spare parts? It is the last hope: that the Champions League music, like an Indian piffer, lets the true Biscione out of the basket. On the other hand, the season has shown several times that there is a championship Inter and a Champions League, more concentrated, more tough, more ambitious. The hope is that the head, excited, adrenaline, denies the tiredness of the legs. Then if the grace will pose on the hair of the bull …
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