Earlier today, The Athletic’s tactics writer Michael Cox and Italian football correspondent James Horncastle answered your questions on Saturday’s Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter.
From where they think the battle to be crowned European champions will be won and lost to Inter playing in their yellow third kit, these are some of their favourite questions — and their answers.
Charlie S. asked: “What are your predictions for Saturday’s final?”
Cox: Paris Saint-Germain should dominate possession but I’m going to go 2-1 to Inter. I think Federico Dimarco flying into the space vacated by Achraf Hakimi could be crucial, and I’m also not sure if PSG will cope against a strike duo — Lautaro Martinez getting space on the outside of Marquinhos could be dangerous.
Horncastle: Inter know Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from his Napoli days. Hakimi is their former team-mate at San Siro. Though how much of an advantage this constitutes remains to be seen.
Pundits continue to point out Inter’s age as a reason for them to fade but they scored late to win in Munich against Bayern (in the quarter-finals) and I shouldn’t need to remind you of 37-year-old Francesco Acerbi’s goal to force extra time against Barcelona (in the semis) — 3-2, Inter.
Nat C. asked: “How could this define (Inter coach Simone) Inzaghi’s future? Is a win or a loss more likely to see him move on? Is there any chance of a link-up between an underappreciated manager (Inzaghi) and an underappreciated club (Tottenham)?!”
Horncastle: I mean no disrespect to Tottenham, but I feel Inzaghi is a tier above them now. Fabio Paratici’s friendship with him would have helped their cause. Other top jobs in England aren’t available at the moment. The same can be said of Spain. I think he stays.
Girmachew K. asked: “Will PSG’s counter-movement cause Inter’s centre-backs to be conservative and not follow players deep?”
Cox: Good question. I expect Acerbi will try to stick quite tightly to Ousmane Dembele, whose movement towards the ball has unlocked both Liverpool and Arsenal already in this competition’s knockout rounds.
They always seem quite comfortable with that, with the other four defenders tightening their positions. I also think a key is how much Inter’s defenders move forward up the pitch when they have possession. Those rotations are such a key feature of their game. I could be wrong, but I don’t think they’ll rein it in.
Will R. asked: “Will Benjamin Pavard play, and how will it help Inter defensively if so?”
Cox: James may have more concrete info, but it seems both Pavard and (fellow Inter defender) Yann Bisseck are doubtful.
Having no inside knowledge, I’d put money on Pavard starting. I think he’s good enough that it’s probably worth the risk, especially in the five-subs era (Atletico Madrid starting a 10-per-cent-fit Diego Costa in the 2014 final turned out disastrously, but there’s probably not that danger this time).
I must say I prefer him over Bisseck, who has quality but does seem to switch off a bit.
Horncastle: Pavard has an extraordinary record in the Champions League. He has won a staggering percentage of his games. That said, he was also the player who allowed Atletico back into the tie in last year’s round-of-16 defeat.
Chris S. asked: “How have Inter made themselves competitive in Europe despite having a lower budget and a significantly more aged squad than many of their rivals? I can’t quantify this but they feel like a more traditional throwback to Inter’s 1990s team with twin strikers, and I feel many clubs just don’t know how to combat this dual threat with modern tactics.”
Horncastle: It comes down to the winning mentality instilled by Antonio Conte (when he was Inter coach from 2019-21), the culture within the club established by their president Beppe Marotta (same foundations as Juventus), Italy’s ability to produce and export the very best coaches, an Italian core who understand what it means to play for and represent Inter, and some smart recruitment.
Paul S. asked: “Is it a coin-toss over their clashing kits or a more intricate process? (And why yellow for Inter?)”
Cox: Usually it’s decided by a draw for the semis, where we get to see whether it’s semi-finalist one versus semi-finalist two or semi-finalist two versus semi-finalist one in the final. But the draw(s) were confusing this time around, so I can’t remember it happening. It presumably happened when they did the draw for the whole bracket at the beginning? I agree that yellow seems an odd choice. I quite like Inter in white.
Anonymous U. asked: “Are there any players from Serie A this season that you think would’ve taken this Inter side to the next level, and maybe even allowed them to pip Napoli to the title?”
Horncastle: I think Inter are/were fine as they are/were. They came up short, IMHO, because they tried to win every competition — unlike Napoli, who tried to win one. Much of the criticism throughout the season related to Inter’s squad depth, even though that came good in the Champions League’s quarter-finals and semi-finals. Mehdi Taremi, for instance, has — for the most part — not been what Romelu Lukaku was, or Edin Dzeko, when they got to the competition’s final two years ago.
Lawrence S. asked: “I’ve really enjoyed PSG’s full-backs this season. Rather than the slightly boring Pep Guardiola-style inverted full-backs, where there is so much focus on control, they are far more attacking and seem to have a lot of freedom. But given how impressive Denzel Dumfries has been for Inter in the Champions League this year, do you think Nuno Mendes will rein it in at all in the final?”
Cox: I completely agree with this. They’ve been excellent. My feeling here is that Mendes might stay a little deeper, not necessarily to rein it in — but because he might then invite Dumfries up to press, and that will give Kvaratskhelia more one-on-one situations against one of Pavard (not 100 per cent fit), Bisseck (not 100 per cent fit and also error-prone), Stefen de Vrij (slow) or Matteo Darmian (OK, he’s fine, but it’s still a one-on-one situation he wouldn’t relish).
I also think the situation on the opposite flank is interesting. Hakimi ends up in such central, attacking positions and can vacate his zone quite a lot, and while Dumfries has had a great Champions League campaign, I actually think the timing of Dimarco’s runs is even better, and he could be the game’s key player.
Tommaso B. asked: “Hi, James. Win or lose, how much do you think there will be evolution or revolution at Inter this summer? Can see Inzaghi moving on and several older players leaving.”
Horncastle: Hi, Tommaso. Your answer is partly in my piece today. New ownership means the club are on a sounder financial footing and can invest in infrastructure. That means upgrading training facilities and empowering youth development. As Marotta says in that article, the objective this summer is to rejuvenate the squad while maintaining competitiveness.
Nick G. asked: With PSG arriving at this final (somewhat) early in the Luis Enrique project, how much of a must-win does this final represent for their owners at QSI (Qatar Sports Investments)? On the other hand, with the age profile of Inzaghi’s side, do Inter feel this is “the” moment to win for this group?
Cox: I completely agree with the second part here. This Inter side do feel — as Italian teams who reach this stage of the Champions League often do — quite elderly and maybe in need of reinforcements if they’re to stay at this level. The fact they could take Hakimi from them (in 2021) shows, I think, that PSG are clearly ahead of Inter in the grand scheme of things, even if the current vibe is that they don’t need big signings.
There’s always speculation about players such as Nicolo Barella, and even Inzaghi himself, moving on. Personally, I think Inter need to take this opportunity. I’d back PSG to be back at this stage over the next couple of years whereas, to me, it feels like Inter are constantly punching above their weight. In fairness, I thought this about Diego Simeone’s Atletico a decade ago and they’re still consistently in-and-around the competition’s latter stages. Although they really did need to win one of those two finals in 2014 and 2016, looking back, so maybe the same is true for Inter now (after losing to Manchester City in 2023).
(Top photos of Dembele, left, and Lautaro: Getty Images)
