Italy Legendary coach Arrigo Sacchi joked that Inter needed guns to stop striker Erling Haaland from exploding in the Champions League final.
In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport on June 7, Sacchi was first asked how Inter could contain Haaland, who has scored 52 goals in 52 games this season. "They will need a shotgun," he replied. "Just kidding. Man City always play with two wingers and a central striker like Haaland, and Kevin de Bruyne is always pressing them. Inter have a back five, including two full-backs and three centre-backs. This means Inter will often be overwhelmed in the midfield area."
When asked further about why Inter would be dominated in midfield, Sacchi explained that Inter’s two wingers would mark Man City’s two wingers, while three centre-backs would keep an eye on Haaland. So if Inter’s centre-backs didn’t come out to mark De Bruyne or Ilkay Gundogan, Man City would have an extra man or two in midfield to continue their dominant possession play.
Haaland opened the scoring in Man City's 1-1 draw with Bayern in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on April 19. Photo: Reuters
"In fact, Simone Inzaghi's 5-3-2 formation consists of five defenders, not three. Therefore, Inter will lose elements when deploying the ball or pressing high," the 77-year-old former coach continued to analyze.
Sacchi admitted that it would not be easy for Inter to find a way to solve this problem, but said that the Italian representative counterattacked very well and could make Man City not dare to push the team up high to press the field. He emphasized that no formation can guarantee victory, but Inter must have strong motivation, high team spirit and a style of play that emphasizes the qualities of the collective as well as the individual.
Sacchi also advised Inter not to defend for the entire 90 minutes. "If Inter can organize a good pressing game, Guardiola's wingers and strikers will not have many opportunities," he analyzed. "On the other hand, if Man City control the ball, Haaland will have many opportunities. Defending for the entire 90 minutes against Man City can be very risky because sooner or later they will always find a way to score."
Inter and Man City are both aiming for a treble when they enter the Champions League final at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye on June 10. Inter have won the Italian Super Cup and Italian Cup, while Pep Guardiola's team have won the Premier League and FA Cup.
Sacchi led Milan to win a Serie A title and two European Cups between 1988 and 1990, and then led Italy to the 1994 World Cup final. Photo: UEFA
Inter have won the European Cup/Champions League three times, most recently in the 2009-10 season when they won the historic treble under Jose Mourinho. Man City have yet to win the Champions League, with their best result being reaching the final in 2021, where they lost 0-1 to Chelsea. However, Opta statistics put Man City's chances of winning the Champions League at 74%, nearly three times that of Inter.
Hong Duy
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