Is Champions League defeat end of an era for Inter?
The end of an era for Inter Milan?As Paris St-Germain dismantled Inter 5-0 to win their first Champions League - in the biggest final victory ever - it may have given the Nerazzuri a sense their own rebuild is needed this summer, albeit on a tighter budget.PSG's starting XI at Allianz Arena cost about £403m to assemble, compared to the roughly £137m Inter shelled out for their starting line-up.Inter boss Simone Inzaghi - whose own future is uncertain - put out the third oldest side in Champions League final history. Seven of the same starting XI that lost to Manchester City two years ago in Istanbul started again here."The players deserve great credit. They gave it their best shot. I wouldn't change these players for anything else," said Inzaghi after the game - while failing to guarantee he would still be in charge for next month's Fifa Club World Cup.But they just could not cope with the youth of PSG, as what had the potential of being a treble-winning season just weeks ago ends up as nothing.In Francesco Acerbi, Yann Sommer and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Inter were the first side to start three players aged 36 or older in a European Cup or Champions League final."As the game progressed and the scoreline was progressing as well, they did look like one of the oldest teams in the competition," said BBC Match of the Day pundit Nedum Onuoha.So what now - and what could they learn from PSG?
New players? New manager...?
Before this final, Inter president Giuseppe Marotta said owners Oaktree, who took over the club last year, wanted to go down a model of "investments in slightly younger profiles who represent a real asset".If they even had a sliver of doubt before the Munich showdown against PSG they will be even surer now.Inzaghi said: "The club is strong. The club supports us. We've signed two players for next season."He was referring to Dinamo Zagreb and Croatia midfielder Petar Sucic, 21, and presumably Marseille's Brazilian winger Luis Henrique, 23 - who has been strongly linked.The boss continued: "We know we have to sign more. The club supports us all the way."On Saturday, they just could not cope with PSG's pace, energy, movement and invention. Left-back Federico Dimarco was questionable for the opening two goals, although he had been hauled off long before PSG started notching up record numbers.And that was despite resting several of their starters for the final day of the Serie A season, even though the title was up for grabs. Inter did win their game that day, but Napoli took the title."Tonight we were more tired than PSG. We didn't play well. We weren't fresh," said Inzaghi."They were always there on the second balls. We played our league until Friday. They won their league a couple of months in advance."But they will have to find new clubs for some of their players if they do decide a refresh is in order. None of their starting XI in Munich is out of contract in the summer.With an average age of 30 years and 242 days, it was the third oldest starting XI in a Champions League final. PSG's players were, on average, five years and 146 days younger.But who will be doing the rebuild?Inzaghi, who led Inter to last season's Serie A title and two Italian Cups, is considered a highly talented coach, and would have probably have been seen as one of the elite had his side won this. He has been heavily linked to Saudi club Al-Hilal.In Friday's pre-match news conference inside Allianz Arena he did nothing to play down suggestions this could be his last game in charge.And after the game he did not commit either."It's not the right time to talk about my future," he said. "We're extremely disappointed. It's awkward to talk about my future now. "We'll be talking about the fact we won no silverware this year."When asked if he would be in charge for the Club World Cup, which starts next month, he said: "I cannot answer this question now. I came here out of respect for you [media]. I'm hurting from a sporting point of view. "Defeats make you stronger. We've been through this before. We lost in Istanbul and the following year we won the league.""This is going to feel much worse for the Inter Milan players than their defeat to Manchester City in the 2023 final," said ex-City defender Onuoha."They played well in that game, but tonight they offered nothing."I think when you as a professional walk off the field like that, in a game where you haven't lost a player, I think it is a real cause for concern."Italian football journalist James Horncastle, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, added: "Inter felt that this was the only thing they were missing."Once again, they have to watch another team celebrating and jumping around and partying."They have won a lot but they have lost a lot. But that's just part of sport."Speaking about the defeat two years ago against City, Inzaghi added: "We know defeats can make you stronger. Tonight's defeat hurts a lot just like the loss in Istanbul. They were two very different matches. "We've been through this. We can get going again all together."Opponents PSG have just completed an overhaul of their own - although it was about egos and not ages.Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar - a front three of players who all thought they were the star - have gone out the door in recent years.But Inter will not have the resources of PSG's Qatari owners.
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