Manchester City, Guardiola’s winning moves that scare Inter- Corriere.it

Years ago, Giancarlo Padovan invented a column for the sports pages of Corriere della Sera which was called The Square Ball. Through the study ante litteram of data that could be verified – and not of simple sensations – it was possible to reward the most useful player in the league. The vision of Manchester City-Real Madrid, both using the Padovan method and an approach closer to the historic Round ball, leaves limited space for Inter’s hopes for the final on June 10, in Istanbul. Let’s hope it’s not useless, however, to analyze five points that can become the subject of discussion because, scientific or emotional, football belongs to everyone anyway.

1) Stones He wasn’t the best footballer but certainly the most surprising of the challenge. Guardiola transformed him from a central defender to a pivot in midfield, together with Rodri, who has always played in that role. A kind of double director, of great physicality, who completely annulled Ancelotti’s idea of ​​letting players play Modric in a more central and advanced position, as many coaches do by now: a fake attacking midfielder intended above all to mark the opposing playmaker (Mourinho, for example, often does this with Pellegrini). By agreeing to defend with three, often man against man, and always pressing high, Guardiola dominated the match. These are the numbers from the UEFA Champions League website: 61% ball possession at 39; 68 attacks to 27; 17 chances in the 2-man penalty area; 562 passes completed to 362; 43 steals to 24; 8 shots on goal to 3. The perfect tactical preparation of the match and the constant search for an attractive football were added to the numbers. Inzaghi had proof that Manchester City don’t have a source of play, which you can try to limit, but they have many.

2) Ancelotti played Russian rouletteasking for little defensive phase from Rodrygo and Vinicius, hoping that City would lose a few horizontal balls to restart with short and very fast counter-attacks. However, City’s pass accuracy was 90% and so Carvajal and Camavinga, little or nothing helped by the attacking wingers, always found themselves Grealish and Bernardo Silva in one-on-one (at best) or worse still assisted by the overlapping of Walker and Akanji. Whatever formation Inzaghi chooses, it will have to be perfect in the balance between the offensive and defensive phases. Without the sacrifice of 11 out of 11 players, there is a risk of losing, as happened to Real. Ancelotti is certainly not naive: his risk was calculated but a better opponent, as the coach admitted at the end of the match, showed that the king was naked.

3) The Manchester City bench allows substitutions at the highest level even if, for example, in the semi-final first leg in Madrid, Guardiola started and finished the match with the same 11 players on the pitch. Inter is one of the very few European teams that can boast a bench almost at the level of that of the Citizens. If on the one hand De Vrij, Gosens and Lukaku can enter (to give an example) on the other hand yesterday Mahrez, Foden and Julian Alvarez entered.

4) The form of the City players seemed exceptional. Always first on loose balls, always able to press high, always lucid in his choices. Self Haaland had been more concrete — he had three clear scoring chances, Courtois was very good but the Norwegian left something by the wayside — the result would have been even more punishing for Real. Inter are also doing very well, as demonstrated by their performance in recent weeks. Both teams can easily manage the championship from now to the end – City winning it, Inter qualifying for the next Champions League – and have to play in the final of the national cup.

The Nerazzurri have the small advantage of facing Fiorentina on Wednesday 24 May while City will face Manchester United in the FA Cup derby final on 3 June, a week before Istanbul. Who will be able to maintain this form until the most important match of the season?

5) Experience, they say, is very important in European cups. true that Inter have won 3 European Cups and Manchester City none (they only played one final, two years ago, lost 0-1 against Chelsea), for the match against Real Madrid it shows that the Citizens now have a team that has experience at the highest levels and knows how to manage it. Even more than Inter. On this argument, therefore, it is better not to rely. Real Madrid noticed it to their cost.