Inzaghi and Sacchi, challenge of ideas: chronicle of two always opposing visions of football

Simone Inzaghi and Arrigo Sacchi see football with two different colours. Sometimes it’s black and white, other times it just changes a shade, but in most cases I don’t agree.

the lunges

—

The last back and forth, however politely and without raising the tone, arrived on the eve of the Champions League match against Benfica. Arrigo, acclaimed football master and builder of the great Berlusconi AC Milan, twice champion of Europe and the world, declared that Simone’s team is based “a lot on individuality”. That is: “he plays a very different type of football from that of Milan or Napoli, but he has players capable of resolving matches at any time”. Like Lautaro against Salernitana, coming off the bench in the second half and starring with a historic poker. Sacchi-thought is easily understood. He doesn’t say it, but he implies that the Nerazzurri are struggling more in terms of play. Inzaghi dribbled the question in the press room, before the match against Benfica: “Everyone can express their opinion on him, but we have different views on how Inter play.”

comparisons

—

It is not the first time that the two coaches have different views on how the Nerazzurri play. In January 2023, Sacchi spoke like this about Inter. “He has a great squad: Lukaku and Dzeko are good, but a team must be a collective.” November 2022: “Inzaghi must give the team more courage. Both Juve and Inter are not generous teams, they wait and start again based on the opponent’s mistakes.” And again, again in 2022: “Inter does not have a European mentality”. Inzaghi, for his part, claims the Champions League final played last year and played with his head held high against Pep, who at the end of the match indulged in compliments: “He will return to play in a final”. One of the last comments came in August 2023, before the start of the championship: “Inzaghi is a very good coach, but perhaps a little too tied to the old canons of Italian football, he needs to make a leap in quality”. Simone responded before his debut against Monza: “I didn’t read what he said, but what is certain is that this year too we will try to make those who speak badly about my players, not so much about me, think again on the pitch.”

second star

—

Appointment to the next chapter, therefore, obviously without ever raising the tone. There is no doubt that Sacchi wrote the history of Italian football with Milan, as it is also true that every coach has his own vision of football. Inzaghi is someone who watches his way. Benfica in the Champions League tomorrow, but further down the goal set at the start of the season: the second star.