On Wednesday (9:00 p.m.) FC Bayern will meet Inter Milan for the start of Champions League Group C. How good is Italy’s runner-up in form? Who are the key players? What are strengths and weaknesses? Checking out the Nerazzurri:
The 3-2 defeat in the “Derby della Madonnina” against local rivals and champions AC Milan last Saturday puts additional pressure on Inter for the Bayern match. Two top duels lost – at such an early stage in the season? That would be a real mood killer.
When it comes to the first league results, coach Simone Inzaghi’s eleven are still far from their top condition. On matchday one, Inter scored the 2-1 winner at newly promoted US Lecce in the 95th minute. A 3-0 home win over Spezia was followed by a 3-1 draw at Inzaghi’s former club Lazio. Even in the 3-1 win against Serie A returnees Cremonese, Inter did not put in an outstanding performance.
That makes a total of nine points, 11:8 goals and eighth place after five match days. To put it in perspective: leaders Atalanta have 13 points, Napoli and Milan have eleven points. Juventus are level on points with Inter.
With Romelu Lukaku, the striker in the Milan offensive will be out with a thigh injury until at least mid-September. The 29-year-old scored 47 goals in 72 Serie A games for Inter between 2019 and 2021, then joined Chelsea for €113m – returning to Milan on loan in the summer. At the start in Lecce, “Big Rom” needed less than two minutes for his first goal of the season.
But even without the Belgians, the Nerazzurri can shine in many positions with top performers. Argentinian Lautaro Martínez made a leap in quality with 21 league goals last season, even without his ideal strike partner. Ex-Wolfsburg Edin Dzeko, now 36 years old, scored 13 Serie A goals last season.
Former Bundesliga professional Hakan Calhanoglu, who was born in Mannheim, is the standard specialist in Simone Inzaghi’s team. European Champion Nicolò Barella convinces with his joy of running and a strong shooting technique. The defense group around Stefan de Vrij and Milan Skriniar, who was recently courted by PSG, is considered to be well-rehearsed. Another calming influence on the defensive is the 38-year-old goalkeeper Samir Handanovic.
The German international and full-back Robin Gosens, who came from Atalanta in the winter, is not yet a factor in the Inter game. The same applies to ex-Dortmunder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who switched from AS Roma to Inter in the summer.
Inzaghi is one of the guard of young Italian coaches for whom the Catenaccio defensive strategy is a relic of bygone days. The 46-year-old directs his team offensively and determines the game. However, it remains to be seen what tactical guidelines Inzaghi will give his protégés against an opponent as strong as FC Bayern.
The journalist Marco Macca from the online medium “FC Inter 08”, which belongs to “Gazzetta dello Sport”, recently put it in a nutshell: “Inzaghi has built a team that attacks with many players and that is very strong on second balls . Inter also have a lot of players with good headers and professionals who hit good standards.”
As a player, Simone Inzaghi, now 46, has won three senior international caps for Italy. Between 1999 and 2010, the striker won a Scudetto, three cup wins and two national Supercups with Lazio. However, today’s Inter coach never completely stepped out of the shadow of his three-year-old brother Filippo Inzaghi, who had great success with Juventus and Milan and became world champion in 2006, also due to injuries.
As a coach, Simone has long towered over his brother, who is currently in charge of second division club Reggina. After starting out as a youth coach at Lazio, he took over the Romans’ professional team in April 2016. For the 2016/17 season Marcelo Bielsa should be the coach of the Laziali.
Due to differences over promised newcomers, which ultimately did not come, Bielsa threw up after just two days in office – and Inzaghi jumped in again. With success: in 2019 Lazio won the Coppa Italia. In 2017 and 2019, the capital city won the Supercup.
In the summer of 2021, Inzaghi accepted the offer from then champions Inter Milan. With the Nerazzurri, Inzaghi immediately won the Italian Cup and the Supercup. In the championship, however, Inter drew the short straw against city rivals AC.
In the Champions League, despite good performances against Liverpool (0: 2, 1: 0), it was over in the round of 16. For the demands of the Chinese club management of Inter, this is a solid start – but nothing more.
The direct comparison with FC Bayern
Inter’s 2-0 win over FC Bayern in the premier class final in May 2010 will not be forgotten. Diego Milito’s brace gave the Black and Blues the treble of Scudetto, Coppa and Champions League crown.
Just one season later, Bayern lost again against Inter, but this time in the round of 16. After a 1-0 win in the first leg in Milan, Bayern lost 3-2 despite leading 2-1 at the break – and had to bow to the away goals rule.
In 2007, FC Bayern met Inter twice in the group stage (2-0, 1-1). In the winter of 1988, Bayern knocked Inter out of the UEFA Cup (0-2, 3-1). Inter won a test match in 2017 2-0. In short: The record in competitive games is balanced with three wins for both sides and a draw.
Claudio Palmieri