Barcelona vs Inter: 4 Ways Inter Can Make UCL Finals

Tonight, all roads lead to Milan, not Rome. Barcelona vs Inter will be the first of two hotly anticipated second-leg Champions League semi-final matches. While the Arsenal-PSG tie appears to have a favorite, tonight’s tie is still balanced on a knife-edge. Last week’s six-goal thriller ended with honors even with neither team willing to cede any ground. 

Setting The Stage

Having said that, Barça were considered to have the upper hand going into the tie, judging by their current form and the abundance of youthful talent at their disposal. Inter coach Simone Inzaghi and even his key defender Alessandro Bastoni have spoken of the conundrum Lamine Yamal presents. Here are some thoughts on how the Nerrazzuri can stiffle the youngster and bag that all-important win at the San Siro.

Repeat the Trick

Marcus Thuram’s early goal silenced the Camp Nou and knocked Barcelona off their stride. It took the Catalans almost half an hour to find their rhythm and get a goal back. An early Inter goal will turn up the volume in what promises to be a raucous San Siro, theoretically making it harder for the Blaugrana to settle into the game. 

There’s just one shortcoming to this theory: Lautaro Martinez. The Inter number 10 went off injured halfway into the first leg at Barcelona. He may start tonight’s game, but his fitness is in doubt. So don’t expect him to be at his explosive best. Unfortunately, Inter’s other options in attack have been woefully off color this season. 

Shackle Yamal 

Easier said than done. “In terms of his age and ability to create danger, he’s already one of the best, if not the best,” Bastoni admitted in a recent interview. Coach Inzaghi said he tried assigning Yamal three defenders during the first leg, like that was enough to muzzle the precocious teenager. 

Dealing with the threat Yamal presents every time the ball is at his feet will be half the battle won. So, how can Inter keep Barça’s number 19 quiet for 90 minutes? Man-mark him. Assign a stubborn terrier to him, the way Girona effectively deployed Pablo Maffeo to marshal Lionel Messi in his La Liga days. The player will have no other brief other than ensuring Yamal sees as little of the ball as possible. If I were Inzaghi, I’d switch the more agile Denzel Dumfries to the left solely for this purpose. 

Start Frattesi

Simone Inzaghi loves Henrikh Mkhitaryan- no other Inter player has more match appearances than him this season, despite him being one of the oldest in the squad. So we won’t ask Inzaghi to touch him. But if he opts to keep the Armenian, surely he must bench Hakan Çalhanoglu. The Turk’s ratings from the first leg are a reflection of his dismal contribution to that game. Starting him on for his set-piece prowess may prove counter-productive.

Davide Frattesi would be an ideal replacement for either of the two in the Barcelona vs Inter return leg. He is more youthful than Çalhanoglu and Mkhitaryan, has bags of technical ability, and a nose for goal. 

Start Augusto

Federico Dimarco has been one of Inter Milan’s most dependable players over the past two seasons. He is an integral part of Inzaghi’s attack philosophy, which relies a lot on the mobility and precision of the wingbacks. However, over the last few games, the Italy international hasn’t been at his best. He was annihilated on the left flank by Lamine Yamal, and his humiliation was capped by a 56th-minute substitution.     

Carlos Augusto, who replaced Dimarco last Wednesday, should be Inter’s starting left wing-back tonight. The Brazilian was a significant improvement on Dimarco for the 40-odd minutes he was on. He, Bastoni, and Mkhitaryan should be able to effectively deny Yamal space and time on the ball.

The Hard Road to Munich

If Inter Milan is to make it to the Munich Arena at the end of this month, it needs to pull out all the stops. Inzaghi must be uncompromising in his decisions from his starting 11 to the tactics he uses to the timing of his substitutions. His players must also reflect this philosophy by being ruthless in attack and unyielding in defence.