Manchester City and Inter will meet in the Champions League final in Istanbul on June 10. at 10 p.m.
Spanish Pep Guardiola, 52, arrived as Manchester City’s head coach for the 2016–17 season. Since then, City has won the Premier League no less than five times, the FA Cup twice and the League Cup four times.
Year by year, however, the discussion has revolved more and more strongly around the fact that Guardiola’s City has failed in the Champions League. The closest the team got was in the spring of 2021, but the London team Chelsea won the final.
Now Manchester City can conquer the treble. Among English teams, only Manchester United 1998–99 has won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season.
Inter has won the Champions League last time in 2010 Jose Mourinho’s under. After that, the dry seasons began. From 2012 to 2018, the Milanese did not reach the Champions League at all.
At the turn of the decade Antonio Conte the leadership began a new rise. 2020–21 Inter won Serie A, ending Juventus’ nine-year reign. Since then, Inter have been second and third in Serie A, but made a sensational run to the Champions League final this spring.
All the pressure on the people of Manchester
“Whether we win the Champions League final does not define what this team has achieved in the last six years. It helps a lot to be able to say we are one of the best Premier League teams of all time, City defender Kyle Walker argued.
It is still clear that all the pressure is on the people of Manchester. For many, the FA Cup final, where City faced their local rivals United, was a much bigger mountain to climb.
– We can definitely expect a tactical battle, but City is even an amazingly clear pre-favourite. City have been painted with a 75 percent probability of victory, which is unheard of, ‘s football expert and football coach Miika Nuutinen started
The settings emphasize that it would be a huge disappointment for City if the treble was not achieved.
– This whole project, which revolves around City and for which Guardiola was acquired, culminates in winning this one tournament, Nuutinen reminded.
Since there is such a clear early favorite in the game, the start of the match is very decisive. According to the news, the tactical battle will start if Inter can survive the first 25–30 minutes.
– City have started games this season in a very wild way, for example against Real Madrid, and made a statement that there is only one team in this game.
Does Inter have anything to burn?
Due to the starting points, it is easy to predict the course of the game: City dominates the ball and Inter stays in its shell.
– Someone could ask why Inter would do well in this game. There are a couple of things that support that Inter can challenge City, Nuutinen begins.
All teams will have to be without the ball a lot against City and defend low. At Inter, however, it has been the way the team has played throughout the season. Simone Inzaghi the team also won the Italian Cup, and in cup matches, they have modified their playing to be even more defensive.
– Inter is used to being in a low block, in a 5–3–2 format for long periods of time. Of all the teams that advanced from the group stage, Inter has the least pressure on the opponent in the attacking area.
Few teams nowadays play with a clean top pair of two strikers, but Inzaghi’s Inter relies on it. In Nuutinen’s opinion, this is a particularly interesting detail.
– If you think about which teams have caused problems for City this season, Brentford comes up, who rely on concepts quite similar to Inter. Although it is difficult to injure City, Inter may have the drugs to make it happen.
Battle 1: Haaland – Inter’s toppers
Every team has to think about how to stop City’s Norwegian terror Erling Haaland’swho broke the Premier League goal record and also won the Champions League goal exchange.
Inter’s top three are playing in the line Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni.
– The fact is, of course, that Haaland has to be held down in the box when Inter is in a low block, which gives City a lot of opportunities for concentration. Haaland must be able to be guarded by two players.
– The dilemma comes in the fact that the more the players are tied to Haaland, the less support is left for the wings. And there are fewer players ready to take on City midfielders’ runs into the box, for example Ilkay Gündogan’swhich decided the FA Cup final.
Since Inter defends from below, Haaland does not have big spaces to make runs into. Despite this, the 22-year-old Norwegian is the world’s biggest threat in the penalty area.
Battle 2: Inter’s top pair – City’s balance
Against City, Inter’s attacking play is based on forced long balls and straight progression.
– They have a very traditional top pair, where they usually are Edin Dzeko and then Lautaro Martinez or Romelu Lukaku. The logics are really clear, that is, one tries to win the first balls, the other sniffs the second balls.
– In order for Inter to hurt City, the top pair must win long balls and launch attacks.
As City have struggled in Europe in previous seasons, Guardiola has made a philosophical change. In defense, City practically has a line of four top players. In the semi-finals against Real, it was Kyle Walker on the right, John Stones, Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji.
– It makes City really good at defending long passes. That’s why this is an interesting fight. It has been difficult to injure City like this, on the other hand, the cooperation between Inter’s top pair has been really seamless.
After the World Cup in Vaisu, Lautaro Martinez has been in top form, 11 goals in the last 13 matches.
Battle 3: Denzel Dumfries v Jack Grealish
Jack Grealish, 27, moved from Aston Villa to Manchester City in the fall of 2021 for a British record fee of around 117 million euros. Grealish, who usually thrives on the left wing, has redeemed his price tag this season.
With Inter’s right wing-back Denzel at Dumfries it’s quite a job to play against Grealish on the wing. Especially when it is expected that there will be situations where the Dutchman does not get support from the defenders or from the midfield, when Inter has to occupy the penalty area precisely.
However, Dumfries, 27, is also a very important attacking weapon for Inter. According to the news, there are only two players in the Champions League who have taken more touches of the ball in the opponent’s box per game. Dumfries’ trademark is to emerge from the second wave into the back area when Inter attack from the left.
– When Inter attack quickly, it measures Grealish if he can follow Dumfries. This is a potential scenario of how Inter can hurt City.
Battle 4: Goalkeepers
Nuutinen reminds that the role of goalkeepers in a single, gigantic match should not be underestimated. Matches are decided in penalty areas.
Cameroonian Andre Onana playing in Inter’s goal sensational through the Champions League, while in City’s goal the brass keeper Ederson not fully convinced.
– If we look at the shots directed towards the goal and the expected goal, Onana has been able to beat the expected more than anyone else, and saved eight goals in the light of the data.
– This is one culmination point, especially if City’s game is not quite going, and Inter’s block is able to prevent continuous scoring situations. Then 1–2 big saves for Onana can be enough to keep Inter in the game.
Manchester City and Inter will meet in the Champions League final in Istanbul on June 10. at 10 p.m.
Manchester City has played in the Champions League final only once. Chelsea won the spring 2021 final 1–0 Kai Havertz by hitting
Apart from that, City’s only European final is the final match of the then Cup Winners’ Cup in the spring of 1970. City beat Poland’s Gornik Zabrze 2–1.
Inter has won the Champions League in 1964, 1965 and 2010. In the spring 2010 final, Inter beat Bayern 2–0 against the Argentinian Diego Milito with hits.
Inter has won the UEFA Cup (now the Europa League) in 1991, 1994 and 1998.
Real Madrid has the most Champions League wins, 14.
Of the head coaches, he has won the Champions League the most times, four times Carlo Ancelotti. Pep Guardiola can go up to three wins in one Bob Paisley’s and Zinedine Zidane’s with.
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