When Inter Milan was Inzaghi's, not Mourinho's

In their last Champions League win, Inter Milan did not use any Italian players in their starting lineup.

Acerbi is still a mainstay of Inter Milan despite being 37 years old - Photo: REUTERS

And for the entire match, the only Italian player from Inter Milan to enter the field in that year's final was Marco Materazzi, in the 90+2 minute.

Why Internazionale?

Surely fans have not forgotten that match, which took place in the summer of 2010. An Inter Milan was edgy, brave, and full of personality in the hands of the "special one" Jose Mourinho.

With just a scientific defensive counter-attacking style, Inter Milan still convincingly defeated all the strong opponents in the knockout round they faced that year. From Chelsea in the round of 16, Barca in the semi-finals, to Bayern Munich in the final.

The moment Jose Mourinho sent Materazzi onto the field in the 90+2 minute, then hugged him and cried after the final victory was one of the "softest" moments of the "special one's" career.

With the Lucio - Samuel duo being so good in the center of defense, Inter Milan under coach Mourinho that year did not need Materazzi, who was 37 years old at that time.

Mourinho's introduction of him in the 90+2 minute was just a gift for this loyal guard, and to preserve a bit of Italian identity in his perfect team.

Only two Italians were worth mentioning in Inter Milan’s great treble-winning journey that year, Materazzi and Balotelli – then just 19 years old. There was also reserve goalkeeper Francesco Toldo, but he didn’t play a single minute in the Champions League because Julio Cesar was too perfect.

There were also the following heroes, the Argentine quartet of Milito (top scorer), Cambiasso, Zanetti (captain), Samuel, then Eto'o, then the Dutch conductor Sneijder, then the group of Brazilian players playing the role of pillars of the defense - Cesar, Lucio, Maicon, Motta...

None of Inter Milan's mainstays that year were Italian.

Anyone in the boot-shaped country might mock Mourinho for this, except the club's loyal fans. Not because Inter Milan were so successful, but because Mourinho completely adhered to Inter Milan's identity.

Inzaghi brings a breath of fresh air to Italian football - Photo: REUTERS

On March 9, 1908, a group of AC Milan fans split off to form Inter Milan, with the Italian name Internazionale, meaning "international". Their purpose was to demonstrate a spirit of openness and friendship with international friends, in contrast to AC Milan's principle of using absolutely native players.

Over a hundred years of history, Inter Milan has always shown that identity, especially since the 1990s. The team's leading stars are almost always foreigners, from Ronaldo "fat", Klinsmann, Ibrahimovic, Adriano, Eto'o, Sneijder, Icardi to Lukaku...

But in recent years, the wind has changed direction, especially since coach Simone Inzaghi took over the head coach position at Giuseppe Meazza.

Italians play the mainstay role

Two years ago, the Inzaghi brother helped Inter Milan reach the Champions League final (lost 0-1 to Man City) with a squad rich in Italian character.

There were five Italian players fielded by coach Inzaghi in that match, including Darmian, Bastoni, Acerbi, Barella and Dimarco.

All five of the above players are still playing the mainstay role for Inter Milan at the moment, and will probably start together again against PSG in the Champions League final this weekend.

Not only that, they also added Frattesi, the lucky one on the bench. The 25-year-old Italian midfielder has scored 2 goals when coming off the bench this season. Both were extremely important goals, against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals and Barca in the semi-finals.

Barella fights back and forth in Barca's powerful midfield - Photo: REUTERS

Including young players, Inter Milan currently has more than 10 Italians in the squad, and a native head coach who always promotes Italian football identity.

With that identity, Inter Milan defeated Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Barca, the top candidates for the championship this season. In which, the victory over Barca was a truly great achievement.

Yamal is too scary, Raphinha is too good, Hansi Flick is also very talented, but unfortunately, they have encountered the "magic" of the Italians. Whenever the tournament has teams that are considered too powerful, the Italians will appear and block their way.

15 years ago, Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan defeated Barca in such a way, against the legendary generation of Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola.

Inzaghi is no Mourinho. Filippo Inzaghi's younger brother is friendly, gentle and always polite.

But don't let that appearance fool you. Simone Inzaghi is a real "sly fox" on the coaching bench. Besides his skillful management skills, he always acts decisively in the framework of a tense match.

It was the decision to pull Dimarco off the field right from the start of the second half, to replace him with a better defensive Augusto to limit Yamal's destructive power.

Italians always know how to block the strongest teams - Photo: REUTERS

It was the decision to push Acerbi straight into the opponent's penalty area when Barca were leading 2-3.

And many other bold decisions, replacing seemingly invulnerable stars like Lautaro Martinez, Thuram, Calhanoglu, Dumfries... at important moments.

In Italy, Inzaghi is truly a new generation "godfather", although he is not as experienced as Ancelotti, not as wild as Sarri, not as romantic as Mancini, not as fierce as Conte, nor as serious as Ranieri.

Inzaghi does not really have any outstanding personality. Somewhere in the land of the boot, many football fans still see Simone Inzaghi as a former player who started his coaching career not long ago, and is still considered a young strategist.

But the truth is that Simone Inzaghi has been a coach for 9 years, has been successful at 2 big clubs (Lazio and Inter Milan), has won the Scudetto, and has brought Inter Milan to the Champions League final for the second time.

In the past 3 years, only Real Madrid has been more stable in the highest arena of the continent.

This weekend, the Italians will once again enter a final against a team that is considered stronger than them. But the stronger the opponent, the higher the chance of the Serie A representative winning the match.

The 2024-2025 Champions League final will take place at 2:00 a.m. on June 1 between Inter Milan and PSG. The match will take place at the Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany), with a capacity of about 70,000 seats.

Back to topic

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khi-inter-milan-la-cua-inzaghi-khong-phai-cua-mourinho-20250529081048388.htm