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Champions League: What Inter Milan must do to beat Manchester City in final?

Let us look at the three ways by which Inter Milan can beat Manchester City in the final of the Champions League.

By Karthik Raman | May 20, 2023 | 3 Min Read

Inter Milan have the most difficult proposition among all European clubs – find a way to stop Manchester City juggernaut in the Champions League final. City have been one of the teams of the season in all competitions this time around. They have been nearly unstoppable as other clubs have tried and failed in their quest to halt the progress of Pep Guardiola’s side. Inter now have the daunting task of coming up with a plan to stop the most in-form side in all of Europe currently.

It goes without saying that Manchester City will be the overwhelming favourites in the final. They have eased their way past heavyweights such as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid over the last two rounds of the competition. That instantly makes City the favourites for the title. Having said that Inter Milan cannot be underestimated either. They have defied all the odds to reach the final. As a unit, Inter Milan have done an excellent job in getting past every challenge that has come their way this season. Hence, let us look at the three ways by which Inter Milan can beat Manchester City in the final of the Champions League.

Air-tight defence

This might sound repetitive, however, having an air-tight defence is the one of the best ways by which Inter Milan will have a chance of beating Manchester City. Luckily though for Inter, it is something they are very good at. Inter have lost only twice and both defeats were in the group stage against Bayern Munich. The Italian outfit has kept an impressive eight clean sheets already in the competition. This proves that how organised their defence can be. They need to maintain the shape for the entire 90 minutes against City to stop them from scoring.

Have more purpose on the ball

Having a good defence can only fulfil one set of tasks for Inter Milan. If the Italian side are to completely beat Man City though they should not only rely on their defence but their attackers must play an equally important role. Man City’s pressing game will be extremely difficult for any side to surpass. Guardiola’s side play with a high-pressing approach and manage to do it successfully in a co-ordinated manner. If Inter have to beat that intense press, they must have good counter-attacking patterns of play in their locker. Very rarely they will see the ball against City but whenever they do, Inter must attack quickly and with a lot of purpose.

Stop Kevin De Bruyne

Erling Haaland might be getting all the goals and accolades from around the world, however, the main architect behind Man City’s success over the years has been Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian has been in unbelievable form for the blue half of Manchester, as he keeps producing the goods consistently for them. He is once again at the top of his game, playing a crucial part in City’s success so far. A lot of Haaland goals have also been provided by De Bruyne. However, the teams that have enjoyed success against Man City have managed to do that when they have kept the Belgian quiet in the match. It is something Inter Milan must also do. De Bruyne must be marked tightly and his influence should be limited if Inter are to do well in the final.