Chronicle of a coronation announced for Manchester City, in search of a fabulous hat-trick after their coronation in the Premier League and their conquest of the FA Cup? This is the a priori most likely scenario on Saturday evening (9:00 p.m.) at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul between the formation led by Pep Guardiola and Inter Milan. To be convinced a little more, just take a look at the online odds of the two teams: unless you bet a fortune, betting on the Citizens will not make you rich. Except that sport is not just about statistics, and its glorious uncertainty applies perfectly to football…
Admittedly, in Serie A, the Interists could not do anything against the formidable Neapolitan cavalcade, champion with 16 lengths ahead of… Lazio Rome, the Milanese club being satisfied with the third step of the podium with 12 defeats on the clock . Nevertheless, not everything is to be thrown away in this 2022-2023 vintage, quite the contrary. On January 18, the team led by Simone Inzaghi masterfully won the Italian Super Cup at the expense of its neighbor and rival AC Milan (3-0). And more recently, on May 24, the Italian Cup also fell into his hands with a success over Fiorentina (2-1). Proof that Inter knows how to approach its finals. Likewise, the transalpine club was able to extricate itself from a very strong group in the Champions League by finishing second behind Bayern Munich, but ahead of FC Barcelona, future champion of Spain.
Since the start of the Champions League final phase, Inter Milan have demonstrated their typically Italian ability to defend very well. Thus, in six matches, the Nerazzurri only conceded three goals, all in the same match, a quarter-final second leg against Benfica totally unbridled at the end of the match (3-3) when the qualification of the Inter players was no longer no doubt. Otherwise, neither Porto in the round of 16 nor AC Milan in the semi-finals have managed to break through Inter’s safe. With a defense with three centrals around the old grognard Francesco Acerbi (35 years old) and the young Alessandro Bastoni (24 years old), and a goalkeeper, André Onana, returned to his best level after his long suspension (9 months) for having taken a medicine placed on the list of prohibited products, the Milan rearguard can also count on the defensive work of the laterals Dumfries and Dimarco, without forgetting the compact curtain in the midfield symbolized by Nicolo Barella. So much so that references such as the future Parisian Milan Skriniar or the Dutch international Stefan de Vrij have been reduced to playing simple utilities on the bench for several weeks. This final should therefore be a real opposition of styles between the flamboyant Mancunian attack and the solidity of Milan, capable of stopping any attack.
If Manchester City has two stars of the round ball with Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, and that in the classification of the last Ballon d’Or had six players in the first 25 with Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo ( today at Bayern Munich) in addition to the two names mentioned above, Inter Milan does not have any superstars. In attack, Romelu Lukaku could have claimed this status two years ago, but he remains on two disappointing seasons, one at Chelsea, the other at Inter. At 25, his friend Lautaro Martinez is of metronomic regularity (21 goals each time in the last two seasons in Serie A) but he still remains (unfairly) unknown to the general public. As for Edin Dzeko, at 37, he still has good remains but is no longer the formidable scorer he was. Nevertheless, he symbolizes, with Acerbi, goalkeeper Samir Handanovic (38 years old, replacing today but still very important in the locker room), midfielder Henrik Mkhitaryan (34 years old) or Marcelo Brozovic (30 years old), this old guard , very experienced. And on the opposite side are therefore Barella and Bastoni, the two great talents hoped for soon at the top of the Boot, all forming a formidable assembly. Without a gondola head, therefore, but not without advantages.
Since the qualification acquired against Real Madrid in the semi-finals (1-1, 4-0), which many observers had described as the final before the letter, no one, or almost, imagines Manchester City stumble on the last step. But it is never easy to approach a final with this status of hyper favorite, which in a way deprives you of the right to lose. Moreover, the history of football is paved with teams extolled, but which have suddenly fallen on earth. Beyond the fact that everything remains possible in a match – in particular a fact of play such as an expulsion in the first quarter of an hour which could come to redistribute the cards -, the big question before this final is the following: how will the Citizens react? if they fail to quickly break through the transalpine defence? Could they be frustrated, a feeling reinforced by this status of favorites that they obviously cannot ignore? One thing is certain: Inter Milan have the means to make them doubt, and the more they can do this, the more City will feel the pressure.
