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Could Inter have done better by taking their chances? Is Kevin De Bruyne just unlucky? Was Haaland found out? Things learnt from Manchester City's win over Inter in the Champions League final.
The curtains have finally been drawn on the 2022/23 season, a season that has culminated in Manchester City making history by becoming the first English side in a generation to complete the treble since Manchester United in 1999 after beating Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul
A goal by Rodri was enough to separate both sides, as the clash lived up to its very tight billing, in a game that epitomized what a tactical battle is like.
From aggressive pressing by Inter Milan, to Onana’s near-perfect distribution which gave Manchester City all sorts of problems and forced them into making unusual performances, including Ederson whose distribution is usually so splendid, being unusually questionable.
So, what can we learn from the final?
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14:56 - 10.06.2023
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A chance not taken for Inter?
City was there for the taking in Istanbul. A combination of Simone Inzaghi’s strategy and the pressure weighing down on the treble chasers gave Inter a chance they perhaps didn’t expect to have in the Champions League final. For that reason, the mood on the flight back to Milan will be regretful.
Inter effectively stopped City playing and made them look short on ideas, causing Pep considerable agitation on the sidelines. Better decision making in the final third could have punished City. Romelu Lukaku could and should have sent the game to extra-time.
Alas, Inter returned home empty-handed as the other Italian teams did from their European finals. But the closeness of this encounter is encouraging for Serie A. Inzaghi and his players can take solace from the two trophies they won and qualification for next year’s Champions League.
The cup was unexpectedly within Winter's grasp.
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Absolute three months of perfection from City
Celtic 1967, Ajax 1972, PSV 1988, Manchester United 1999, Barcelona 2009 and 2015, Inter Milan 2010, Bayern Munich 2013 and 2020. Now, Manchester City are the latest European treble winners of 2023.
For only the 10th time in the history of European football a team has completed the hallowed treble of becoming league champions, cup winners and European Cup/Champions League winners in the same season.
City’s achievement can’t be downplayed, it can’t be underestimated. The word great is ridiculously overused but they have truly become great. An incredibly gifted football team who have achieved greatness.
It’s hard to believe now but in January, Guardiola was questioning the club’s mentality.
Since then they have generated a staunch siege mentality and played football from heaven. They swatted aside Arsenal, demolished Real Madrid, then beat Manchester United and have now edged past Inter Milan. No rivals left. Three months of perfection.
They are unequivocally the best team in England, the best team in Europe and surely the best team in the world. Twenty-four years ago City were in League One. It’s been an absolutely stunning rise to supremacy and there will be many, many more trophies to come.
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Shaky in the first half, controlling in the second
City’s final chance of the half was a left-footed shot from center-back Akanji, with all the Inter players behind the ball, taken from almost 30 yards out.
It summed up City’s first-half frustrations, failing to penetrate a compact 5-3-2 Inter defensive block. “You have to be stable in finals,” said Guardiola before the game. “Lots of control, they (Inter) are a master to defend. You have to be patient.”
They had just four shots, the joint-fewest City have registered in the first half of a Champions League game all season, and their nine touches in the opposition box was fewer than in nine of their 12 European fixtures.
City looked rattled and frazzled in the Istanbul heat. The usually reliable Ederson had distribution issues, on multiple occasions kicking into touch when Inter pushed high, and struggling to deal with a looping cross when Lautaro Martinez put him under pressure. Guardiola shouting “relax” probably did little to help things, but emphasized the stubbornness and frustration that Inter offered as a defensive unit.
They gave Inter a golden opportunity to open the lead early into the second half, with a loose back pass to Ederson, but Lautaro opted to shoot rather than square it to the substitute Lukaku — Inter were leading the shot count 6-5 (2-2 on target) after an hour.
Most of the second half was controlled by City. It ended, with almost 94 minutes on the clock, with Ederson coming from his line to claim an Inter wide free kick.
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Inter’s proactive defending made Haaland anonymous
Inter had a game plan that involved directly and indirectly minimizing space for the 52-goal striker. In the build-up, their three centre-backs snaffled up almost every ball that went into the Norwegian’s feet when he dropped deeper to link up, restricting him to nine touches in the first half.
They also tried to block first De Bruyne and then Foden from poking through balls into the box from colourful areas. They stopped crosses, they blocked passes, they created a blue and black wall. De Bruyne did slip one through as Haaland peeled left…but he was off balance when shooting and couldn’t find a yard either side of Onana.
During build-up play Haaland was often left one-on-one with Francesco Acerbi when Matteo Darmian and Alessandro Bastoni stepped out to press City’s advanced midfielders…a risky strategy which worked.
Acerbi v Haaland was a liplicking battle of a dark, gruff, heavily tattooed, gravelly old Italian with a castaway beard against a smooth, unblemished, bright blonde Norwegian in baby blue.
It must be said Inter also benefited from some awful final balls from City. And so Acerbi and Inter won the day when it came to stopping Haaland, but ultimately City took the spoils.
Unlucky De Bruyne?
De Bruyne going off injured in the first half is very cruel, and a crushing blow for him considering he was forced off with a nasty injury in City’s previous Champions League final in 2021.
De Bruyne has been so key for City for so many years now, their main man for basically all of that time (until Erling Haaland turned up) and in the conversation about hypothetical future statues outside the Etihad Stadium it has always seemed to be the case that if De Bruyne were to make a telling contribution in City’s first Champions League victory then he could go up alongside Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Vincent Kompany.
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11:51 - 10.06.2023
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Foden stepped up in De Bruyne’s absence
De Bruyne leaves some big shoes to fill, but Phil Foden oozed class in the second half of a very cagey final.
It is easy to forget that he is only 23, what with his five Premier League titles and six domestic cups.
Whereas De Bruyne looked to roam wide left and exploit Inter’s narrow midfield, Foden operated centrally, playing close to Haaland and attempting to find pockets of space between Inter’s incredibly narrow lines.
On a couple of occasions, he managed it, turning as he received and driving at the goal. But for better finishing, Foden would have found himself on the scoresheet too.
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