logo
Inter Milan & Italy Trio Must Recover Mentally From Absolute Devastation Of Serie A, Champions League & FIFA World Cup Qualifier Collapse

Inter Milan & Italy Trio Must Recover Mentally From Absolute Devastation Of Serie A, Champions League & FIFA World Cup Qualifier Collapse

Yahoo19 hours ago

Federico Dimarco, Alessandro Bastoni, and Nicolo Barella will have to recover mentally from the devastation of collapses by Inter Milan and Italy.
This is the view in today's print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews.
Advertisement
It would be a significant understatement to say that it has been a tough three weeks for Federico Dimarco, Alessandro Bastoni, and Nicolo Barella.
First, there was the disappointment of missing out on the Serie A title.
Losing out to Napoli was already tough. But the manner in which it happened – losing on the final day after repeatedly failing to take advantage of opportunities to put the title race to bed – stung all the more.
Then, the Champions League final was even more devastating for Inter.
Losing another final in narrow fashion as they had against Manchester City in 2023 would have been heartbreaking for Inter. But the 5-0 blowout loss to Paris Saint-Germain was something else entirely.
Advertisement
It is possible that the Italian internationals will have hoped the international break was an opportunity to reset.
However, the misery followed them to the Azzurri camp. They lost 3-0 against Norway to get their World Cup qualifying campaign to the worst conceivable start.
Dimarco, Bastoni & Barella Must Recover Mentally From Inter & Italy Collapse
MUNICH, GERMANY – MAY 31: Nicolo Barella of FC Internazionale reacts towards Referee Istvan Kovacs during the UEFA Champions League Final 2025 between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Internazionale Milano at Munich Football Arena on May 31, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by)
For Federico Dimarco, Alessandro Bastoni, and Nicolo Barella, it will feel like the rug has been pulled from under them.
However, notes the Gazzetta, the trio cannot afford to dwell on these feelings.
Dimarco, Bastoni, and Barella are all still key figures for Inter. No matter how the last few weeks have gone.
Advertisement
Therefore, recovering confidence will be the most important task.
Inter need all of Dimarco, Bastoni, and Barella to believe that they are capable of reaching their best levels. Otherwise, things might only continue to get worse, in a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Richard Carapaz interview: ‘When I'm at altitude in Europe, I never feel that burden'
Richard Carapaz interview: ‘When I'm at altitude in Europe, I never feel that burden'

New York Times

time2 hours ago

  • New York Times

Richard Carapaz interview: ‘When I'm at altitude in Europe, I never feel that burden'

'Ever since I was training in Ecuador beforehand, I was open that my goal was to win the Giro,' says Richard Carapaz. 'In that sense, it was the race that we were preparing for. We (EF Education–EasyPost) didn't have the most powerful team, but with the team we did have, we were brave enough to dare to dream. Advertisement 'It was one of the most beautiful experiences. It was the very fact of feeling again, of being plugged in every day to try to win. That itself is something, hey? And well, it's not easy. But it makes me feel alive, because I think that's my essence.' It has been two weeks since the Giro d'Italia, and Richard Carapaz can speak to The Athletic with considered analysis about the events of the past month. His distinctive silhouette animated the race as its most aggressive rider — low on his bike, crucifix poking out from behind a half-undone zip, barely appearing to breathe but for the sheen of sweat. During his fiercest attacks, such as those up to Castelnovo ne' Monti or San Valentino, his torso sways vigorously from side to side, chin still aerodynamically tucked. He resembles Pernell Whitaker evading punches while throwing them himself. Entering the climactic stage 20 as the in-form climber in the race, 43 seconds behind Isaac del Toro, the surprise 21-year-old wearer of the pink jersey, Carapaz was arguably favourite for the Maglia Rosa. In the event, as Carapaz and Del Toro marked each other, British rider Simon Yates surged forward to victory. Carapaz finished third, his fifth Grand Tour podium, and first since 2022. Back in Ecuador, where he is training for next month's Tour de France, Carapaz is proud of the result. Six years after first winning the Giro, the 32-year-old remains on its podium — even if he is still confused over how the final racing day played out. 'I never fully understood why it went that way on the (Colle delle) Finestre,' he says. 'But those kinds of things are difficult to control. When it's not in your hands, it's impossible to change. Everything that was within my reach, or everything I could do as a rider, I did.' Over a 90-minute conversation, Carapaz gives his version of what transpired on the Finestre and discusses his plans for the Tour de France — but to begin to understand the man, how he races and who he is, you have to understand the Ecuadorian highlands. Carapaz was born in Carchi, one of Ecuador's most remote and mountainous provinces, lying on its northern border with Colombia. It provides potatoes, sweetcorn, and spring onions, with its largest settlement, Tulcan, the highest city in the country at 2,900 metres. In an era where the sport's top riders go on altitude training camps to acclimatise, Carapaz is at a natural advantage. But it is uphill still to Playa Alta, his hometown, which is over 1,000m higher than the 2,178m Finestre, the high point of this year's Giro. Advertisement 'When I'm at altitude in Europe, I never feel that burden,' Carapaz says. 'It's something normal. It's maybe a little different to the altitude we have here, because there's humidity in Ecuador — in Europe, the air is drier and better at 1500m. 'But I must be the professional that lives at the highest altitude in the whole peloton. You can see there's a benefit, because it's not the same thing to live at sea level and go uphill to adapt. My family has lived at altitude for five generations — genetically, my body is made to survive 3000m.' But there's more to the mountains than height alone. Two hundred kilometres from Quito, life is harder — Carapaz first picked up a bike out of necessity, rather than dreams of stardom. 'Every sport needs a lot of research, a lot of work, a lot of sacrifice, right?' argues Carapaz. 'It's not purely genetic construction — you can't go out and win a Tour de France like that. You need preparation, proper nutrition, proper work. When I was a kid, I didn't do these sorts of things. 'When I went to school, I rode my bike, but it's because it was easier than walking. I didn't have in my head that I wanted to be Marco Pantani or Miguel Indurain. It was part of daily life.' And life almost got in Carapaz's way. As a 13-year-old, his mother Ana Luisa was diagnosed with breast cancer. 'She had to go and live in Quito for treatment,' says Carapaz. 'The farm was left alone, and so my grandfather and I had to take care of the pigs, the chicken, the cattle. My siblings were at university — I was left in charge.' He rose every morning at 5am, spending an hour and a half milking the family's seven cows by hand. Sometimes, jobs were not done until it was too late to cycle to class. He continued doing these jobs even once his parents returned — on one occasion, Carapaz missed the visit of the man who would become his first coach to his school. Hearing about the opportunity, the teenager raced to join his cycling group the next day. Advertisement 'Certain activities I did, whether you like it or not, also shape your character,' he says. 'That defines a lot of when I am riding, of being fierce, of persevering, and having that beast character when things do not work out to turn the situation around — because it happens here very often, doesn't it? 'Country life is not easy. If your parents work in agriculture, the condition of their crop makes a big difference. That is how I was shaped.' It was a mentality that allowed him to fly. With his mother recovered, and his cycling talent recognised, Carapaz devoured the training and nutrition he needed to turn professional, first cracking South America, and then Europe. Over the video call, Carapaz is wearing a T-shirt from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where he won the road race, capturing what was Ecuador's second-ever gold medal. Carchi was to thank for that as well, with the area's humidity mirroring the oppressive summer conditions of Japan. He was strong enough to ride away from the chasers on unfamiliar, flatter terrain. For this season, Carapaz promised EF that he would arrive at the Giro in the best shape of his career. Rather than doing the team's typical training camp in the Sierra Nevada or Andorra, he wanted to remain in Ecuador, taking advantage of his home's natural features. 'This year has been a little different,' he says. 'The team wanted to give me a certain freedom. And being here has always been a plus — I'm a boy who is used to living above 3,000m. But in a certain sense, it's also a commitment to show that I can prepare for the objective just as I have in previous years.' His team quickly had that proof. Entering somewhat under the radar as a general classification (GC) rider, Carapaz realised in Albania that he had good legs — moving into overall contention after winning stage 11, and again taking significant time out of Del Toro on stage 16. Entering the final two mountain days, his director sportif, Juanma Garate, himself a stage winner in all three Grand Tours, addressed the team on the bus, Carapaz having his battered body stretched out by a soigneur at its back. 'We are second in GC, we have the strongest rider in the race, and we have 40 seconds to a rider who is struggling on the long climbs,' Garate said. 'You're not going to find yourself in this scenario much in your career. But you'll remember this for the rest of your life.' Advertisement After a stalemate on stage 19, the 18km climb of the legendary Finestre would be decisive — a climb Carapaz had ridden well back in 2018, with its gravelled slope reminiscent of his local Volcano Chiles, just across the Colombian border. EF hatched a plan. 'We knew we didn't have the best team in the race,' Carapaz says. 'So we had to do a slightly different race — we didn't want Del Toro and UAE Team Emirates to control everything like the day before, when he always had four or five teammates with him. You couldn't move, because they were always in the majority. 'So the plan on the Finestre was to break the race in the first kilometre, to try everything and make them play their cards. To isolate Del Toro was our first objective. And well, we did that, didn't we? There was chaos where Del Toro, me, and Yates were left alone from the third kilometre onwards.' But unable to shake Del Toro, and with the young Mexican unwilling to chase down Yates' subsequent attacks, Carapaz was left in a difficult tactical position as the Visma–Lease a Bike rider soloed away towards overall victory. 'When several days have passed, you can think about everything with a cooler head,' says Carapaz. 'The plan was to show who the strongest was. But Del Toro was obsessed with me. He stayed with me until the last minute. 'Yates had already attacked once, I'd closed the gap for him (Del Toro), and this time Yates had 20 to 30 seconds. I asked Del Toro to help me, but he refused. So my thinking was, 'If you aren't going to work, I'm going to let people go'. If you're the leader of the race, the Maglia Rosa (pink jersey), that's the point that you have to take the lead, because you're the one who's losing the jersey. 'I rode again, when Yates was almost two minutes away, with the idea of cresting the Finestre much closer to him. And we brought it back to 1.20. And that's when Del Toro really had to take the baton. He could have won the Giro, but I don't understand why they didn't make that decision. He became so obsessed with me — that however good he was the day before did not matter. 'In the end, Yates had a teammate (Wout van Aert) in front who helped him a lot. You see, then, that Isaac came and asked me for help. I told him: 'Man, the race is over now. I can't do anything anymore, I'm sorry'.' Despite his frustration with UAE's tactics on the final day, Carapaz still rates Del Toro highly. Advertisement 'He had been in front for many days,' he says. 'For that, you've got legs, you don't need to prove it. I already knew a little about his quality, we raced together last year and he showed a very good level. And in that sense, it showed that there's a replacement of a new generation of talent that is coming from behind. It's been a demonstration of what he can do.' And in a wider sense, this year's Giro was significant as a race animated by Latin American riders. Del Toro and Carapaz both finished on the podium and won stages. Colombian Egan Bernal showed his best form since his 2022 crash, sparking the chaos of the gravel stage to Siena. 'The role of Latin Americans has been clear,' he remarks. 'Everyone has been working for their own team but it has been very important for our entire continent, because we have been the main movers in the race. We all had the same objective to win.' Just over a month from riding into Rome, Carapaz will be on the Tour de France startlist in Lille. Here, the reigning King of the Mountains has been tasked with an alternative brief. 'The Tour is a bit of a different race,' he says. 'In a certain sense, I don't have the team to fight for the overall victory with. You need that for the first 10 stages. So to go for the general classification would be a little absurd. We're going to do things that we can do. 'So our objectives are different. It'll be similar to last year — I'll go for a few stages, for the mountains jersey, which I really like. It's a beautiful jersey. 'And in the end, it's also going to be a bit more fun for me, isn't it? Taking away the pressure of fighting every day for a Grand Tour, I've done that this year. In that sense, it's a little bit better for me, too.'

How to watch PSG vs Inter Milan for FREE: TV channel and live stream for Champions League final today
How to watch PSG vs Inter Milan for FREE: TV channel and live stream for Champions League final today

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

How to watch PSG vs Inter Milan for FREE: TV channel and live stream for Champions League final today

Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan face off tonight in the Champions League final. The pinnacle of European club football concludes with the showpiece as nearly-men PSG take on seasoned veterans Inter in a fascinating Munich showdown. Advertisement CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW PSG VS INTER MILAN LIVE! PSG brushed aside Arsenal in the semi-finals - despite Mikel Arteta's claims his side were the best team in the competition - while Inter saw off Barcelona in one of the great European knockout ties, which ended 7-6. Both teams are well worth their spot in the final as PSG's thrilling, free-flowing side takes on Inter's stylish yet efficient machine. PSG are bidding to become the first French side since Marseille in 1993 to be crowned Europe's best, while Inter are looking to win their fourth title in their seventh final. In the three previous finals Inter have lost, the winning side were completing a treble. And that is exactly what PSG hope to achieve this evening. How to watch PSG vs Inter Milan for free TV channel: In the UK, the Champions League final is being shown live on TNT Sports. Coverage gets underway at 6pm BST ahead of kick-off at 8pm. Advertisement Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also watch the game live online via the Discovery+ app and website. There will also be a free live stream available through the Discovery+ app, though those without a subscription will need to register their details to access the broadcast. Prime Video customers, who have access to a basic Discovery+ account will also be able to watch the final through the Prime Video app. Live blog: Follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog, featuring expert analysis from Dom Smith in Munich!

Five things to look out for as Club World Cup kicks off
Five things to look out for as Club World Cup kicks off

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Five things to look out for as Club World Cup kicks off

Despite concerns over ticket sales and player fatigue, FIFA's new expanded Club World Cup will throw up several intriguing storylines this summer in the United States. AFP Sport picks five things to look out for on the pitch as teams compete to conquer the world and claim their share of $1 billion in prize money. Advertisement Messi back in the spotlight Former Barcelona great Lionel Messi has spent the last two seasons at MLS side Inter Miami but the Club World Cup pits him against European opposition once again. The 37-year-old superstar still possesses supreme quality but there are question marks over whether he and former top level stars Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets can seriously compete against the cream of the crop. Inter Miami face Porto in their second group match in Atlanta, a team Messi has faced once before, beating them with Barca in the UEFA Super Cup back in 2011. Messi also featured against Porto in a friendly with Barca back in 2003, which was his first ever appearance for the club at 16 years old. Advertisement If he nets at the tournament, Messi would become the oldest ever Club World Cup goalscorer, while both he and Suarez trail the competition's all-time top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, by two goals. A new stage for Doue Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League final romp over Inter Milan was inspired by thrilling forward Desire Doue, who turned 20 earlier in June. His spectacular burst into the limelight over the past few months means he is one of the players to watch this summer at the Club World Cup. He struck twice in the final against Inter as well as setting up another goal and drew comparisons to Spanish starlet Lamine Yamal, who will not be playing this summer as Barcelona did not qualify. Advertisement PSG's opening clash against Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles immediately gives Doue another stage to shine on as the world at large continues to discover his immense talent. Revamped City Pep Guardiola's Manchester City endured a poor season by their lofty standards and immediately took action in the special transfer window to bolster their squad for the Club World Cup. The Abu Dhabi-owned club have already splashed more than £100 million ($136 million) on Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki. With holding midfielder Rodri also returning to fitness after injury, City are hoping they can step up their game significantly. Advertisement French 21-year-old attacking midfielder Cherki is an exciting talent looking to show his quality at the top level. "I really believe he can become a world-class player with our support and direction," said City's director of football Hugo Viana. South American threat While Europe's elite are at the end of a long, hard season, South American clubs are midway through their campaigns and will be energised. They have long revered the competition to a far greater degree than European sides, as it represents the chance to face the very best teams in the world. Fans who do not regularly follow South American football can look forward to discovering some of the most exciting emerging talents in the world. Advertisement River Plate's Argentine playmaker Franco Mastantuono will join Real Madrid after the tournament, while Chelsea-bound striker Estevao Willian is hoping to end his time at Brazilian side Palmeiras with a bang. Atletico hunger Atletico Madrid ended the season trophyless despite looking like potential contenders in Spain and Europe. Diego Simeone's side are proud of having reached the tournament ahead of La Liga rivals Barcelona and the coach has not hidden his desire to succeed this summer. "I hope we can advance in the Club World Cup and lead Atletico Madrid to a privileged position," said Simeone. Advertisement Atletico have not won a single trophy since lifting La Liga in 2021 and their last success outside of Spanish football came in 2018 with Europa League and UEFA Super Cup wins. Their elimination by Real Madrid in the Champions League after Julian Alvarez's controversial 'double-touch' penalty was disallowed sent them into a spiral, which they only managed to shake off in the final weeks of the season, after their chances of success had vanished. rbs/mw

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store