Can Simone Inzaghi Finally Guide Inter Milan To European Glory?
MUNICH FOOTBALL ARENA, MUNICH, GERMANY - 2025/05/30: Simone Inzaghi, head coach of Fc Internazionale ... More looks on during training session on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Final 2025 match between Paris Saint-Germain Fc and Fc Internazionale. (Photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Can Simone Inzaghi get Inter Milan over the line this time around?
The Italian coach has guided the Nerazzurri back to the Champions League final for the second time in three years, and now face an in-form Paris Saint-Germain side in Uefa's showpiece even in Munich.
Two years ago, Inzaghi's men fell to Manchester City in Istanbul, in a game many believed they should've won.
Then, only Romelu Lukaku prevented Inter taking City into extra-time.
Two years on and the three-time European champions want to right the wrongs of that night in the Turkish capital.
Inter lost the Scudetto on the final day of the Serie A season to Napoli, and after also losing in the Coppa Italia semi final to AC Milan, Europe remains their only chance of winning silverware this season.
For Inzaghi and many of his side, this feels like a now or never moment. The coach has been linked with a massive money move to Saudi Arabia side Al-Hilal, and other members of the squad are in their 30s and likely won't get another chance to secure Uefa's premier club competition.
Francesco Acerbi, Yann Sommer, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are all in their early to mid-30s, while Acerbi is closer to 40 than 30.
Some of these players will likely never get another chance again, and they have to take it in Munich.
That element could spur some of Inzaghi's battle-hardened veterans on, against a PSG side that are younger and have more vigour about them.
Luis Enrique's side have been nothing short of fantastic in the latter rounds of the competition after failing to impress in the new group stage format.
Aston Villa, Liverpool and Arsenal were all seen off en route to Munich, and the tactical battle between the Spaniard's 4-3-3 and Inzaghi's 3-5-2 will be a sight to behold.
Luis Enrique has won this trophy before, of course. His first time also came against Italian opposition in the shape of Juventus, a decade ago in Berlin.
Then, he could call on the services of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar at the peak of their powers. Now, he has Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola ready to inflict damage.
For PSG, winning the Champions League could represent QSI's decade-plus pursuit of Europe's biggest trophy. For Inter, victory would rubber-stamp this current period of greatness under Inzaghi, lifting the one major trophy missing from his four-year spell at the club.
It's also the first time either of these two sides have met in a competitive setting, adding further intrigue.
It's easy to bill the final as defence against attack, youth against experience, but it's more nuanced than that.
Inter have that perfect blend of both, with Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolo Barella, Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram all in the prime of their careers.
All four will likely have a big say in Munich, especially Martinez, who hasn't kicked a ball since the win over Barcelona three weeks ago.
A winner is hard to judge, and that's how all Champions League finals should be. Now, all that's left is hopes of a good match.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
24 minutes ago
- CNN
Morten Harket, lead singer of a-ha, has Parkinson's disease
Morten Harket has revealed he has Parkinson's disease. The singer of a-ha, the band behind the 1985 hit and innovatively animated music video 'Take On Me,' shared the news during an interview with the group's biographer. 'I've got no problem accepting the diagnosis,' Harket said. 'With time, I've taken to heart my 94-year-old father's attitude to the way the organism gradually surrenders: 'I use whatever works'.' Harket, 65, explained why he wanted to share his diagnosis publicly. 'Acknowledging the diagnosis wasn't a problem for me; it's my need for peace and quiet to work that has been stopping me. I'm trying the best I can to prevent my entire system from going into decline,' he said. 'It's a difficult balancing act between taking the medication and managing its side effects. There's so much to weigh up when you're emulating the masterful way the body handles every complex movement, or social matters and invitations, or day-to-day life in general.' According to Mayo Clinic, 'Parkinson's disease is a movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time.' Harket had 'advanced brain surgery' at the Mayo Clinic, which along with medication, 'have softened the impact of his symptoms,' the a-ha biographer, Jan Omdahl, wrote. 'In June 2024, Morten underwent a neurosurgical procedure in which electrodes were implanted deep inside the left side of his brain. These are connected to a small pacemaker-like device placed under the skin of the upper chest that sends electrical impulses through the electrodes into the brain,' Omdahl wrote. 'The method is called deep brain stimulation (DBS) and is among the most advanced treatments in neurology. The procedure had the desired effect: with the right electrical impulses now reaching Morten's brain, many of his physical symptoms practically vanished. In December 2024 he underwent a similar procedure on the right side of his brain, which was also successful.' Harket's voice, however, has been affected, he said. 'The problems with my voice are one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future,' Harket said.
Bloomberg
30 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
ECB Cuts Cycle Coming to an End: Evening Briefing Europe
The European Central Bank cut rates by a quarter-point to 2% today – the eighth cut in a year – in line with forecasts from analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. On announcing the cut, ECB President Christine Lagarde said that the bank is coming to the end of its reductions cycle, with inflation currently below its 2% target for the first time in eight months and only the second since 2021. 'We are getting to the end of a monetary-policy cycle that was responding to compounded shocks — including Covid, the illegitimate war in Ukraine and the energy crisis,' Lagarde told reporters in Frankfurt. One unknown remains: US President Donald Trump's trade policy going forward, which still risks inflation shocks. Talks between the US and the European Union over tariffs are due to finish next week.
Bloomberg
34 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Trump Seeks to Boost Energy Exports in Talks With Merz on Trade
US President Donald Trump said he would discuss a potential trade deal with the European Union with visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding that he hoped to use an agreement to boost US energy exports. 'We'll have a good trade deal. I mean, I guess that will be mostly determined by the European Union, but you're a very big part of that,' Trump said as he welcomed the leader of Europe's largest economy to the White House on Thursday.
