Performance against Man City shows why Inter are a proper Champions League contender | OneFootball

Serie A champions Inter gave Manchester City a serious run for their money at the Etihad yesterday. While they failed to win the game, it was a performance which seemed to rock City and they created a host of chances that should have been converted.

Granted, City also had their own chances at the end but Inter’s approach was impressive. They showed their flexibility and malleability in every phase of play on and off the ball, breaking free on the counter-attacks and dragging the City defence all over the balance.

It was the perfect encapsulation of a superbly coached Simone Inzaghi side, as the versatillity of every player shone through whenever Inter got the ball. All of Piotr Zielinski, Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu are incredibly flexible midfielders and are capable of playing different roles, allowing the team the facility of breaking through with either of them.

The backline of Yann Bisseck, Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni also happens to be adaptive in nature, as they can cover wide spaces, stay narrow and be more than useful on the ball when the need arises, making Inzaghi’s side flexible in their build-up shapes depending on how the opposition presses them. Combine that with how Matteo Darmian, who had an excellent chance, is very capable of playing as a centre-back and also good enough to make those darting runs forward.

The mid-block didn’t allow City too much space centrally and they were keen on winning the ball back and attacking centrally, while using the wing-backs in Carlos Augusto and Darmian to stretch the pitch when needed.

And that wasn’t even Inter’s first team. It is simply a reflection of how Inzaghi has made most of what he has on his plate and shows his liking for players who can play multiple roles and are intelligent enough to exist in different shapes at varying times. They looked comfortable against City and were never fazed by the prospect of facing them, often attacking in hoardes.

They can essentially operate in any shape and build-up in a variety of ways, with the XI capable of defending in multiple ways too. This adaptive nature always puts teams in good stead for the Champions League and Inter are definite candidates for the competition.

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN