ThuLa in attack, then Barella, Akanji, Dumfries and…. the formation that the Inter coach has in mind
A time for Thuram and Barella, an hour for Lautaro, 29 minutes for Dumfries, not even half for Zielinski, Dimarco and Akanji. As an alchemist, rather than a coach, Cristian Chivu mixed the right doses to allow Inter to be “the best version of ourselves” during the Italian Cup final. On Wednesday we will understand if and how much the management will have paid. In the meantime, the dress rehearsal at the Olimpico provided good indications on the level of mentality reached by the Italian champion team: not losing the right ferocity in circumstances in which pulling the leg back would also be understandable is a fundamental step of growth to climb onto the bridge of the greats of Europe.
let’s not trust
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Upon returning to Milan, however, Chivu reminded the players not to trust the weak and frayed Lazio beaten on Saturday: to celebrate the long-awaited double, and perhaps bring another cup to San Siro to display on the open-top bus that will accompany Inter in the city parade on Sunday, they will have to work much harder. After all, playing an ‘away’ final, in the stadium where the opposing team usually performs, represents a complication, despite the 20,000 fans ready to land in Rome to witness the attempted double that has been missing since 2010.
here are the eleven
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In any case, the lineup that will start the match is almost decided: the only microscopic doubt is in midfield, where Calhanoglu’s injury forces Zielinski to act as a playmaker and frees up a place on the midfielders. Sucic and Mkhitaryan, both of whom scored in the first round against Lazio, compete for the place but the young Croatian has the advantage, as suggested by the weekend’s substitutions: Sucic came off in the 79th minute, Micki instead remained on the pitch until the end. Furthermore, it was a goal by Sucic against Como that took Chivu towards the first senior final of his career. We must therefore expect seven confirmations compared to the crash test of the championship: in goal it is once again the cup goalkeeper, Josep Martinez; in defense forward with Bisseck and Bastoni, joined by Akanji; Barella and Sucic resist in midfield, joined by Dumfries on the right, Dimarco on the left and Zielinski as director; in attack we obviously start again from the Lautaro-Thuram company, this time they can be recruited more or less full time.
the veterans
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There are three titular theorists who participated in the entire cycle of successes of the Twenties: Lautaro, Barella and Bastoni. The first two also started the previous finals, each making an impact in their own way: Barella scored the first goal against Juventus, in a match then decided by Perisic with two goals in extra time; Lautaro literally turned Fiorentina on its head, after the quick 0-1 defeat by his compatriot Nico Gonzalez, with the two goals that earned the ninth cup in the club’s history. To obtain the tenth, which despite the suggestion would not inspire the sewing of a silver star on the shirts, however, the contribution of the debutants will also be needed, starting with Akanji who in his brilliant trajectory has already grabbed three national cups in Switzerland, Germany and England. The specialist Manuel, fresh from his permanent purchase from City, is a value to take into account.
greetings
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Wednesday’s final will also be a farewell event for many petals of a rose to be refreshed. In addition to the five players whose contracts are expiring, among which only De Vrij has a chance of renewal, there are many at risk of being cut. Or the sale that could finance the strengthening program (see Bastoni himself, who will be approached again by Barcelona this week). Inter is waiting for the Italian Cup final, which will be attended by the ownership delegates, to find out the available budget and start the meetings that become the basis for improving the team, clearly with the involvement of Chivu who will sign the new contract expiring in 2028 by the end of the championship. It will be a summer of very frequent comings and goings in the Inter offices, which aims to recover an adequate standing also in the Champions League. In the meantime, however, they must pursue the domestic pairing achieved by only five clubs in Italian history: Inter celebrated it only 16 years ago, with José Mourinho, when the titles then there were even three.
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