The most underestimated team in Europe - Inter Milan

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• ⚽Inter Milan - Flexibility as a Key to Success

⚽Inter Milan - Flexibility as a Key to Success

Reaching the Champions League final last year was by no means a stroke of luck for Inter Milan. The team led by Inzaghi is considered one of the most underestimated teams in Europe.

This past Wednesday, they secured a resounding 4-0 victory over Atalanta, despite Atalanta's unbeaten streak of eight games in Serie A prior to this match. With this win, Inter has extended their unbeaten run in the Italian league to 20 games and currently leads the table with a 12-point advantage over second-placed Juventus Turin.

Inter Milan isn't just known for their solid defense, as is typical for many Italian teams. No, they're also the team that has scored the most goals in all five of Europe's top leagues.

But what makes Inzaghi's team so strong? After watching several of their matches, one thing stands out to me immediately: flexibility. Inter demonstrates remarkable flexibility both in attack and in defense.

Here, we're directly addressing the previous post on creating dynamism. Inter can generate momentum like few other teams, especially through positional changes. They've nearly perfected this tactical aspect. Let's illustrate this with practical examples from their recent match against Atalanta.

First, some basics about Inter Milan. Inzaghi's team plays in a 5-3-2 / 3-2-5 formation. This formation is particularly evident in defense.

However, since the midfield is understaffed in this formation, the back five plays a crucial role. The three central defenders occasionally push forward into midfield to provide support. With players like Bastoni, Pavard, and De Vrij, they have very clever players who know exactly when to advance and when not to.

Their offensive formation varies significantly. Depending on the phase of the game, they build up differently, similar to other top teams. Sometimes, when the goalkeeper takes a goal kick, they build up play with up to 8 players.

During the game against Atalanta, it was often observed how the central defender De Vrij surged into the center or how one of the midfielders like Barella dropped back to escape the pressure.

In open play, they may adopt a 4-2-4 formation, and when they are in the second zone of the field, they position themselves in a 3-2-5 system, similar to most teams.

Now let's look at specific examples of how Inter creates dynamism through positional changes:

Underlapping:

In this scene, it's clear to see how Di Marco, typically a full-back, picks up the pace and initiates a sprint down the field. Di Marco stands out for his physical strength and excels in a position that demands a lot of running. Not only does he solidly fulfill his defensive duties, but with six assists, he's also among the top providers in Serie A. He's narrowly behind Giroud from AC Milan in this statistic.

Positional Changes:

How often have you witnessed a central defender sprinting forward at full speed to create momentum? Fluidly switching positions is nothing new, and almost all teams excel at it. However, Inter takes this approach to another level. In this example, Bastoni, who is very skilled, initiates a sprint forward after a pass, creating momentum and space for his teammate Mkhitaryan, who drops back in his place, making himself available and providing cover for him.

Another good example of players switching positions, which later resulted in a goal: Lautaro drops into midfield and becomes available for the ball. Mkhitaryan sees the open space and quickly runs into it. Lautaro Martinez turns and makes a great, although slightly too high, pass to Mkhitaryan. This action then led, as mentioned, to a tap-in goal by Darmian.

Conclusion:

Inzaghi's team displays remarkable flexibility and has been playing together in this setup for quite some time now. As a result, they appear very organized and well-drilled. In my opinion, these factors make them a very challenging opponent for all teams, both domestically and internationally.

What do you think? Do you consider Inter a surprise contender in the Champions League?

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