Inter, the open questions towards the final: Dzeko or Lukaku, Brozovic or Mkhitaryan, the conditions of Skriniar and Correa

APPIANO GENTILE – Dzeko or Lukaku. Brozovic or Mkhitaryan. The condition of Correa and the possible recovery of Skriniar, for the bench. These are the issues to be resolved in view of the final in Istanbul for Simone Inzaghi, who returns to coach his team after three and a half days of rest, the longest break without kicking a ball since the international break at the end of December. At the Pinetina the Inter players met at 12 for the tactical meeting and lunch, and then took the field for training in the afternoon.

The return to the field after three days

After beating Atalanta and thus mathematically qualifying for the next edition of the Champions League, the coach gave his players the chance to catch their breath, after an uninterrupted tour de force that began on April 1st, after the national team matches for qualifying for the European Championship. The nerazzurri have played 17 times in 56 days. An average of one game every 79 hours. “An entire group in less than two months”, to quote Inzaghi himself.

The long ride to Istanbul

In the last two months, Inter have lost only two games, both in the league. Three draws, with Juventus in the Italian Cup, Salernitana in Serie A and Benfica in the Champions League. Otherwise they have always won, bringing home the Coppa Italia, qualifying among the top four in the league and/or reaching the final against Manchester City in the most important cup, beating Milan twice in the semifinals without conceding a goal. And it is at City that the team must now think. The last championship game in Turin against Juric’s granata will be little more than a drill.

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In Turin turnover and experiments

By winning on Saturday at the Olimpico Grande Torino, Inter could strengthen into third place in the standings and hope for second if Lazio were to fall in Empoli. In doing so, he could raise another precious 4 million euros, which add to the over 100 collected in the season with the Champions League path, to the approximately 60 (also counting the box office) already booked for the next edition and to the tens of millions abundant reach from the Italian Cup, between receipts and sports prizes. Against Toro it is probable that Inzaghi will make a large turnover, giving space to those who have found the least during the season. And he will be able to test solutions in the field in view of the appointment with the story of June 10 in Turkey.

Guardiola’s tactical puzzle

Turin certainly does not have the technical quality of city. And also from a tactical point of view, Juric’s 3-4-2-1, solid but all in all scholastic, bears little resemblance to the changing 4-3-3 of Guardhouse, which against the three defending teams changes into an ultra offensive 3-2-4-1. We saw it on the last day of the championship, last Sunday against Brentford. Pep fielded the defense Walker, Laporte and Aké, protected in midfield by Lewis and Phillips. On the trocar he fielded a battery of four offensive players, behind Julian Alvarez: Mahrez, Palmer, Foden and Sergio Gomez. It is therefore difficult to find similarities between the grenades, who finished eighth in Serie A, and the superstars of City, who won the Premier League. But the match in Turin will still be able to give some indications in view of the Champions League final.