Inter v Bayern: Champions League final preview
This is what the Champions League is all about: England’s best side against Spain’s best side in last season’s final in Rome, Italy’s best side against Germany’s best side this season in Madrid. This is an intriguing match-up between two sides who have underachieved in Europe in recent years, and between two of the greatest tacticians in modern times.
The Italy v Germany clash is emphasized when you consider the situation regarding both countries’ UEFA coefficients (which determines the number of European places each national league is allocated) where Germany currently leads Italy by 0.155 points.
The basic result of that is that Serie A needs Inter to beat Bayern if it is to regain third place, and therefore retain its four Champions League places for 20011/12. This might seem a relatively tenuous, distant problem, but losing a fourth spot would be a huge embarrassment for Italy, and therefore we have an unlikely situation where Italy is depending on Jose Mourinho, a man who has become so unpopular across the country in recent months.
As well as being a playoff for that Champions League spot, this is also a playoff for the treble. Both completed the domestic league and cup double within the past fortnight, and this game means one club will have the most successful season in their history, whilst the other will be left deflated at the end of an otherwise superb season.
Real rejects Robben and Sneijder
The main interest on the pitch, of course, is the match-up between Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, the two Dutch players discarded by Real Madrid last summer. The two No 10s have been the key player for their respective new clubs, and the irony of them contesting the final at the Santiago Bernabeu is plain to see, especially when Real’s monumental spending spree last summer saw them depart – for the fifth season in a row – at the second round stage.
It is a great contest too, for Lucio – who left Bayern for Inter last summer, and for Samuel Eto’o, who could become both the first player to score three times in the Champions League final (he is level with Raul on two) and the first player to win back-to-back trebles with two different clubs.
Managers
This game is literally the master versus the student: Jose Mourinho worked for two years as Louis van Gaal’s assistant at Barcelona, and together they won the league title both seasons. Never before have they faced one another.
The two have further similarities. Van Gaal’s Champions League win with Ajax in 1995 was probably the 1990s equivalent of Mourinho’s success with Porto in 2004, probably the most impressive European Cup wins of those respective decades. And both managers have won league titles in three separate countries – van Gaal in Holland (Ajax and AZ), Spain (Barcelona) and now Germany (Bayern); Mourinho in Portugal (Porto), England (Chelsea) and Italy (Inter). Few managers taste instant success in such a wide range of countries – in this final, it’s more of a case of the special two, rather than the special one.
Despite them working together at Barcelona, they have become renowned for playing different brands of football – van Gaal is often seen as having continued the attacking brand of Dutch football epitomised by Total Football, Mourinho is painted as being a defensive, negative manager whose teams win without much style. That might be slightly unfair on Mourinho, but the perceived differences in style only add to the excitement of this final.
Inter selection
Although Mourinho started the season playing a 4-3-1-2, he has since pretty much permanently switched to a 4-2-3-1 / 4-2-1-3 system. The main surprise in the second half of Inter season is how few surprises there have been. Mourinho has a clearly-preferred system and an easily-identifiable first XI when all are available, especially given the troubles this season of two players who should have broken through permanently into the first team, Davide Santon and Mario Balotelli.
The main dilemma is who to replace the suspended Thiago Motta with, in a crucial role for Inter (more on that later). There are three options for Mourinho here. Playing Dejan Stankovic there would be a very attacking move, whilst Sulley Muntari would provide more of a battling quality. The most likely replacement, however, is Cristian Chivu, although this may mean that he starts at left-back, with Javier Zanetti moving forward into midfield, as he did, for example, against Fiorentina.
Elsewhere, the line-up is fairly predictable – there has been speculation that Balotelli could replace Pandev, but this looks unlikely given the defensive job Inter’s left-winger will have to do against Philip Lahm.
Bayern selection
Like Inter, Bayern’s starting XI in the second half of the season has been fairly predictable and they have stuck to a 4-4-2 / 4-2-3-1 shape. The spanner in the works is Franck Ribery’s suspension – if van Gaal is keen to keep the same playing system, with inverted wingers, then Hamit Altintop will start, which seems the likely scenario according to the German press. There would be value, though, in fielding Danijel Pranjic there, a more defensive option, considering the forward surges of Maicon will have to be looked after.
Elsewhere the line-up should be the same as they have fielded throughout the season, with Ivica Olic and Thomas Muller upfront.
Predicted line-ups
Tactics
Inter have tended to sit back and soak up pressure in their Champions League knockout run, but given the nature of Bayern’s slightly suspect backline, attack might be the name of the game. Fielding a forward four in a 4-2-3-1 is essentially quite a defensive shape from Mourinho, as its main aim is to contain the opposition full-backs – but the attacking benefit of fielding four attacking players like this is clear, and means Inter can really go for it from the off.
The Chivu/Zanetti dilemma is an interesting one, because Inter’s left-back will have the most important defensive job up against Arjen Robben, whilst their central midfield partner for Cambisso might be the freest player on the pitch and see a lot of the ball. Zanetti’s superior passing ability means he will probably get the nod in midfield, with Chivu sticking solidly to Robben on the flank, although the two could switch, especially if the man who starts at left-back picks up a booking.
Wesley Sneijder position will also be interesting, as he may come into direct confrontation with his compatriot Mark van Bommel. If van Bommel is drawn up into the pitch to confront Inter’s midfielders, though, Sneijder may find himself with space, and his tendency to drift to the left makes it difficult for the centre-backs to pick up.
Bayern are set up quite well to face Inter’s defence. Walter Samuel and Lucio have coped very well with tall forwards like Didier Drogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but in Serie A they have sometimes struggled against smaller, pacier forwards. The work rate of Olic and Muller will cause them problems, and Muller will also have a defensive job to do on Esteban Cambiasso when Bayern lose the ball.
Bayern will struggle to get their full-backs forward if Inter play 4-2-3-1, and they may have a slight numerical disadvantage in midfield too. They have depended on Robben throughout the season, and may well do more than ever in this game tonight.
Inter’s three central midfielders (if you include Sneijder) should, in theory, outnumber Byaern’s two. Therefore, expect Thomas Muller to drop back to ease the pressure on Schweinsteiger and van Bommel, and perhaps Martin Demichelis might step up into midfield when Bayern have the ball, as he did so well against Manchester United.
Moves to watch out for:
Inter:
Making space for Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder plays slightly behind Inter’s front three, and slightly to the left of the pitch. When the ball is on the right-hand side, Inter’s three forwards move towards the ball, often leaving Sneijder unmarked on the edge of the area, or at the far post, such as against Barca.
Bayern:
Making space for Robben
Bayern also use their forwards to make space for their No 10. Muller and Olic move towards the far post, increasing the distance between left centre-back, and left-back, allowing Robben to cut in. Alternatively, one of the strikers makes a run towards Robben’s wing, dragging that defender out of position, and creating space for Robben in the centre of the pitch. This video shows how much he likes to cut inside:
The game could be won by these two producing a moment of individual genius – otherwise, it will be won in the centre of midfield. It should be a tight match, but Inter start as favourites.
Champions League knockout matches featured on ZM:
Inter:
Bayern:
Inter v Bayern: Champions League final preview
With Zanetti’s occasional runs and passing capability, I can definitely see Inter score a goal like the one they scored against Siena. Zanetti might just dupe the Bayern Defence, which has conceded 13 goals in 12 matches (champions league), so not the best defence. I can’t see Bayern’s offence make up for their defence.
Inter seem the likely victors.
Don’t think, that Zanetti will get the chance for offensive action. He should take care of robben. Robben only need one good minute and he can score like in florenz, manchester and often in the Bundesliga. It is a big mistake if you give him space, nothing bout zanetti, but he has no rezept against robbens speed, like the rest of inter.
I wonder about Pandev starting on the left. A good attacking option but is he capable of tracking back to cover Philip Lahm?
This could leave Chivu, who has enough on his plate already with Arjen Robben, faced with two attackers. An overlap could leave space for Robben to drop inside as you have mentioned so much in the article and danger for Inter.
I guess what’s going to have to happen is Zanetti is going to play on the left side of the defensive midfield area and make sure Robben isn’t allowed any space in the centre.
I can still see Inter winning this one comfortably but just a thought.
Mourinho seems to quite like Pandev defensively though, he seems to trust him quite a lot. He certainly puts a good shift in, although he hasn’t played too well for the past couple of months.
Lahm isn’t as much as an attacking threat as he used to be, and i think Inter can shakle him well. The real problem in my opinion is solely Robben. Ideally, Pandev should occupy Lahm and restrict his attacking instincts. in doing so, Inter can contain and minimize the threat of Robben, as they did with Messi, through providing him with one too many obstacles to hinder his movement. I’m sure Robben is amazing at dribbling cones, but when these cones are too narrow, even the best footballers would lose the ball
Most of Bayern’s praise goes to Robben, who is surely a dangerous player, but for me Olic is nearly as much of a threat. He always finds ways to score important goals. I think he’ll chip in with one in the final.
Inter are huge favourites: If they score the first goal that will do it for them. They will then park the bus like in Barcelona and wait for Eto’o outpacing van Buyten (hahahaha) and striking home a counter-attack that’s it.
Barca did a bad job against their catenaccio in the second leg, by just keeping position and passing around the box instead of moving in and creating holes, and Bayern on a good day will do much better in that respect with Olic, Muller and Robben running for their lives. But still, Bayern will not score two against them if Inter bet on catenaccio.
Anyway, until Inter score their first one, I expect them to play it open and attack. First, because it’s a good tactical option as you mentioned, and second and much more important, because of Mou’s ego, which won’t stand being called “just” a mean destructor by all the press and the world.
If Bayern score an early goal instead, that won’t mean anything. Their weak backline renders them prone to an Inter goal anytime. If they are two up, they have a chance, but only then.
VGaal will probably not play Pranjic on the left, since Altintop is much faster and better at dribbling, while Pranjic is only better (superb actually) at making crosses. Since vGaal will neither field Gomez nor Klose, and Bayern’s attack has not been based on crosses and headers anyway this season, and Lucio and Samuel are kings of the air, Pranjic would be useless on the left. Altintop is also not worse in defence, remember his fine displays as a full back with Turkey at the Euros. But let’s see.
Hope for Bayern but I predict a 3:1 for Inter.
I think the left-sided midfield role will see that player doing lots more work defensively than offensively, up against Eto’o and Maicon, which is why I think Pranjic is an option, although not one I anticipate van Gaal using.
as the earlier comment- Altintop is much better defensively than Pranjic… They have both played wingback at the International level but Altintop has had much more success… As well Altintop is faster and a better ball-winner than Pranjic..
just two things, one regarding the UEFA coefficient: inter needs to beat bayern before the penalties or they will loose their 4th starting place regardless of the outcome of the shootout.
the second thing is: im not so sure whether pranjic is really a choice for the starting XI, altintop has played very defensivly when necessary. He even played as a right-back, though it has been some time in the past when i last saw him playing there.
Van Gaal is a very daring coach, so I wouldn’t be completely surprised were he to take the initiative by fielding, say, only three defenders. This would push Lahm further towards the midfield and would leave Mourinho with a dilemna: given the offensive nature of Etoo’/Pandev, does he ask his winger to track Lahm’s movement past the midfield and into Inter’s half? It would be a huge abnegation of Inter’s offensive weaponry since Etoo/Pandev, though still poised for the counter-attack, would see himself spending large periods of the game some distance from Bayern’s final third. On this basis, one could argue for the inclusion of a more defence-minded player, such as Muntari, to fulfil this tornante role.
Admittedly, many people will doubt as to whether Mourinho would fall for such a bait: couldn’t he just leave his winger stationed high up the pitch thereby pinning back Lahm? True, but I`d bet that Van Gaal would be still willing to incur such a risk because in doing so he could see the recompense; i.e., moving Lahm to a wide-midfield position would construct a relativel tight four-man midfield (possibly in a diamond shape, if Van Gaal’s Ajax career is anything to go by) alongside Van Bommel, Schweinsteiger and one from Altintop/Muller (in the advanced role). This would create a 4 v 3 imbalance in Bayern’s favour in central areas, given that Lahm is adept at cutting in diagonally onto his left foot.
I see what you’re saying and it makes sense, however, with that diamond, I think Bayern’s defense is exposed when a player such as Sneijder can track back (the key thing here) and provide the killer through ball. Bayern is the team with weaker defense here and I think they’ll play tighter for most of the game, waiting to unleash Lahm only in the last twenty minutes. I think they’ll be satisfied with only being down one with that much time to go on the clock.
That’s true, but Van Gaal has a long list of previous on this front; his career is filled with instances where he was willing to risk a 3 on 3 or 2 on 2 situation at the back since he believed that the benefits accrued by overloading midfield/attack would force the other manager to react and not hold their nerve.
Of course, this sometimes backfired spectacularly, as per his 2000 defeat at the hands of a rapid counter-attacking Valencia in the Champions’ League semi-final.
ZM, if Zanetti’s moved to the midfield for his passing, wouldn’t it make more sense to have Stankovic start there then? What is the point of having Chivu deal with Robben, if Zanetti “took care” of Messi in the last round pretty handily…? I guess Mou will try to plug in his best “in-form” players in spots already marked up on the field. I always thought Stankovic would be good in that role since it requires precise passing but not a whole lot of tackling. However, he still has some pace left, probably more then Zanetti, to cope with Lahm’s overlaps…
Maybe, but Stankovic hasn’t really played well when played deep in midfield in a 4-2-3-1. Inter’s results when he’s played there have been pretty poor. I think it’ll be Zanetti and Chivu, although not sure which way around.
I guess it would be Chivu at LB & Zannetti in midfield as shown in your picture. And Mou’s message would be to have Chivu on Robben & when Robben has the ball Zannetti would be there in betwwen LB & LCB (Samuel) This would suffocate AR & ball would be taken of possession – When this happens Sneijder would track back & occupy Van Bommel; when in possesion Sneijder becomes a free man in midfield & dangerous.. The mid field numerical advantage would make the differrence. And AR would be made quite by Mou’s men tomorrow. The only chance for Bayern is to have a 4-5-1 formation or 4-2-3-1; i.e 3 in the central midfield to make the match a close one; 4-4-2 would make the match very easy for Inter…
tactic is one part of the game… and both coaches are excellent here, but there is a clear advantage for Bayern wrt to fitness and how the teams developed their game over the season. Bayern had some problems at the start of the season, but they reached their peak just in time… brilliant timing
…
They disjointed Werder Bremen last Saturday (one of the strongest teams in the scond half of the season) in the Cup final in Berlin with ease, their team is 2 years (average) younger than Inter’s team and absolutely top fit…
Inter didn’t really struggle in their last games, but it was also not really convincing…if Bayern has the patience they will outplay Inter in the second half….
Zanetti is much better at the left-back than Chivu. He’s right-footed, it means that he’ll be able to stop Robben’s cut inside more efficiently than a left-footed player. Also, Zanetti is not really a good option to keep possession in the middle. Stankovic is better at passing than Zanetti, who prefers to pass back and never pass forward unless he doesn’t have another choice. It seems like Zanetti could be Inter’s choice for left-back while Stankovic will be the defensive midfielder along Cambiasso.
I’m wondering if using inverted side-backs is the best option to stop this new trend of inverted wings. The only reason to use left-footed left-back is to stop a right-footed right-wing from crossing and vice versa on the other side. So, wouldn’t it be smart defensively to use inverted side-backs? They’ll not be able to be shown their weak-foot easily, and when that’s done the other player will find himself in an awkward position forced to use his weaker foot. Of course, this has a major drawback that wingers can easily exchange positions while side-backs can’t. But in the case of Bayern Munich, it’s a very valid tactic to stop them. I don’t recall seeing their wingers changing positions at all.
Anyway, good read as always. Hope you update the site more often.
….”….don’t recall seeing their wingers changing positions at all…..” ….. have a look at the footage above again ……
“Zanetti is much better at the left-back than Chivu”
Probably, but he’s much better in the centre of midfield too!
That’s true, although Inter have more choices in the midfield than on the left-back. So expect to see Zanetti on the left. Also, Bayern’s threat mainly comes from the wingers so Mourinho will want to focus on that more.
Were I Mourinho I would go for Stankovic in the place of Pandev, fielding a 1-4-3-1-2 with Eto’o and Milito on top, with Eto’o between Lahm and Van Buyten. I believe that would keep Lahm back, will provide two-to-one on Robben without moving a CB, and assure that even if Muller tracks back, Sneijder will be unmanned for quick counters (as Bayern’s CMFs are no Mascherano).
This also adds an additional defensive obligation for Van Buyten, as he must closely follow Stankovic’s forward rushed to stop his long-range efforts, while at the same time freeing Zanetti/Cambiasso to stop VB’s own forward rushes with Stankovic helping the LB.
Were I Van Gaal, I’d start the game with a very close triangle upfront (Olic, Muller and Robben), looking for 3v3 movements with Cambiasso and the two CBs, with the rest of the team keeping position.
The second Van Buyten is actually Van Bommel, Van Buyten will become an offensive threat only in set pieces…
The Eto / Badstuber match-up will be one to watch as well. Surely Badstuber will have to do better against Eto than he did against Valecia in the game against Manchester United if Bayern are to triumph.
Also, though no one wants to see it, this might be the biggest game yet for Bayern in terms of drawing fouls. As mentioned in the Lyon game, Bayern do a good job of making sure they win the booking battle and the game might be decided by an Inter player getting sent off.
i agree, Badstuber is certainly the weakest and inexperienced player of the back four, and what worries me quite much is that he is not really a sprinter and sometimes rather slow at grasping the situation. so eto’o will easily pace him out. Also, Schweinsteiger is slow too, so he won’t be able to back him up. Instead of Badstuber I would field Contento, who’s a good runner. Problem is, this guy is even more inexperienced than Badstuber.:-)
Don’t worry for Bayern to win the booking battle, they’re playing an Italian side after all. By the way, even if Bayern do show some gamesmanship in that respect (which I contest generally apart from the Rafael incident, where any side in the world being 3:1 down would have reacted similarly), you can only claim a card if you are being fouled. So I guess there is quite a simple tactic available for Inter to avoid such gamesmanship…
Love your site, i think your articles show a great understanding in the game, and i also find them very entertaining.
Just wanted to make a litle correction, as i think, and i repeat, i think Paulo Sousa, Portuguese Defensive Midfielder, won champions league with both juventus and borussia Dortmund, in consecutive seasons.
Waiting to read your final review. cheers
Indeed, but the piece says “Eto’o would be the first player to win back-to-back trebles with two different clubs” – note treble, not Champions League.
Sousa has indeed won the Champions League back-to-back, as has Marcel Desailly and Gerard Pique (although he wasn’t in the final squad with United).
ZM, I see your point about Zanetti playing in midfield and Chivu as left-back, but I still see Zanetti being employed as a right footed left-back to deal with Robben cutting inside. On the other hand, there’s the question of Lahm occupying the space left by the left-back when tracking Robben, something that Barça did not do but I don’t think van Gaal will let the chance pass. In that case, I’m wondering about the possibility for Mourinho to play with a defensive left-midfielder with Muntari as the substitute for Motta. Chivu could simply track back with Lahm and later in the game, when Robben gets tired (he always does, van Gaal seems to protect him a lot) and one left-back is enough, Pandev could then be sent in to explore the space and the heavy legs of the defenders.
Another point of interest will be the way van Bommel will play Sneijder. He (vB) may try to goad him (S) into a fight or a hot-tempered reaction with which Sneijder could see the yellow/red card and, more important, could leave him with his mind off the game.
Problem with Muntari is that he tackles hard, fouls a lot, and draws card easily. Robben will easily pick him out early in the game. Chivu and Zanetti are much more intelligent players.
Motta’s absence will be key. He can link up plays very well and helps Inter keep possession. Stankovic and Zanetti, while good midfielders by all standards, are not as good. That means Sneijder will need to drop deeper, where he can receive the ball more easily, but also let MVB and Schwieni have an easier time to track him down. If they can contain Sneijder, it is a battle half-won by Bayern.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mourinho play an asymmetric 4-2-3-1, where one of the two holding midfielders (Zanetti?) plays a little more to the left to close off Robben from dribbling inside. Eto’o would simply stay high up the pitch on the left to inhibit Lahm from making forward runs. I think Maicon may be used on the right hand side of midfield where his pace and direct running could trouble Badstuber. Although Badstuber has had a great break out season, I feel he is more of a centre back than a full back.
This sort of formation would be very similar to the formation that Brazil uses, and is well suited to a counter-attacking game.
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I would agree that zanetti is better than chivu at left back in this situation. But I think playing stankovic in the middle of the park would be risky. He can produce some killer passes but he’s also careless with the ball. He tends to spray haphazardly when under pressure. Also, stankovic is not the best tackler around. He is the kind to pick up an early yellow card and play the rest of the game on a disciplinary tightrope.
On the other hand, Chivu is a proven DM at international level. He’s not great going forward but Inter’s attacks mostly originate from the right side of the pitch anyway, while sneijder is usually the one pulling the strings on the left side with pandev and zanetti. Motta’s performance against barca at san siro was a more defensive support role, although he made that stunning tackle to set the 3rd goal up. Inter just needs someone to be strong defensively, play keepball with cambiasso and have the ability to pass quickly to sneijder.
Inter concede early goals in the first 20 minutes like free (1-1 rubin, 2-1 dynamo, 2-2 dynamo, 0-2 barca, 3-1 barca) so mourinho will be looking to stabilise the ship defensively first. Stankovic unfortunately does not fit that requirement.
Bayern dont have the away goals rule to help them this time so hopefully Inter can get it done and avenge Man United by beating Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern. Go Mourinho!
Olic is problematic however, he pops up at just the right (wrong!) times.
Imo,Milito is going to annihilate the bayern centrebacks.
So many interesting little battles in this match. I feel as if this final isn’t talked up nearly as much as past ones have, perhaps because a German side is in the final, but it is in my opinion one of the most fascinating encounters in years, because of both the connections and history, what is at stake as well as from a tactical perspective.
Bayern will have to depend greatly on their pressuring game in this match, if Inter break away they could well expose Bayern’s defensive shortcomings rather easily. Demichelis, Van Buyten and Badstuber all have trouble with pacy tricky strikers. Lahm would be a far better bet in stopping Eto’o than Badstuber but he’ll be playing on the right so it’ll be up to the rookie. Not an easy task to mark Samuel Eto’o for a 21 year old playing his first professional season, but it’s one of the many little details about this final that makes it so intriguing in my mind.
Agree – this is an absolutely fascinating prospect. Inter are favourites but only a fool would write-off Bayern. I can see Inter getting out-manned in the middle (Motta is a big miss IMO), Can’t wait.
This tactical preview actually makes me nervous as an Inter fan, I just don’t like the way our formation lines up against Bayerns..Sneijder has never been great at tracking back, and when I look at the matchup I just envision Bayern being able to have a lot of possession..This may sound weird, but I actually think that Motta’s suspension might hurt Inter more than Ribery’s hurts Bayern…Having Zanetti and left back is HUGE. I know Robben has been playing amazing, but speaking 100% seriously, if we had Zanetti at Left back assigned to stop Robben, I wouldn’t worry one iota about Robben. Not one. Chivu isn’t even a bad defender, hes very capable, but it still just makes me nervous..I would feel 100x more comfortable with Zanetti on Robben…
What do you think about Mourinho using Inverted wingers? What if he put Pandev on the right and Eto’o on the left? Neither are very good at crossing as it is, and I would feel very good about Eto’o vs Lahm or helping on Robben..Mou hasn’t done that before, but I wouldn’t put it past him..
The anticipation is killing me. I can’t wait to see what Mou comes up with..
Oh and a final note: NO MUNTARI ON THE PITCH BEFORE THE 80TH MINUTE! PLEASE GOD NO. Muntari is a liability not an asset, I wouldn’t put it past him to pick up a booking in his first 10 minutes on the pitch (he’s done it many times before) in fact there was a game this season where he got two yellows in less than 10 minutes I believe. He can’t play, much too dangerous.
Another well written article. I would disagree, though, in classing Van Gaal as a tactician. Although he plays tactically, he isn’t really a tactician in the sense that people refer to a Lippi, Capello, Benitez of Mourinho. Van Gaal’s strength is in how he coaches the players to play with excessive ball movement (as opposed to the player movement of Total Football). His methods are as renowned as Mourinho’s on the training field, and a lot of Mourinho’s “Bible” drills can be traced back to the work Van Gaal does on the field with small sided high intensity game training.
This is a very interesting game because it will tell a tale as much about preparation in a physical sense as it will in terms of tactics or strategy. All things being equal though, it will come down to mentality, and Mourinho might just be able to play better psychological cards than Van Gaal.
Very close to call as a game.
can’t see mourinho disrupting the back four that beat chelsea and barcelona. i think zanetti will stay at left-back, and munrai/chivu/stankovic will step in for motta. would mourinho dare to play stankovic and sneijder high up the pitch to force back MvB and Schw, in something of a 4-1-4-1/4-1-2-3 formatiion?
thinking about it, inter deploying such a system would mean bayern could sit deep and hurt them on the counter, something mourinho will surely not allow. mourinho loves to pry upon mistakes/weaknesses on the opposition, so sending out a team to grab the game by the scruff of the neck, and to play positively, will probably be beyond him. so i think the onus will be on bayern’s individuals, especially robben, to produce something magical when they have the ball in the attcking third – for the sake of football, i hope they manage it
Maicon is the Inter defender that has a record of getting caught out of position (Barca’s first goal at San Siro), but without Ribery troubling his flank, he will not have to worry about it too much, especially if Cambiasso/Zanetti cover his space well. Pranjic and Altintop simply don’t possess the same level of threat that Ribery does.
IMO the flanks will be the key battlefield. The center midfield is quite evenly matched. Schweini/MVB should be able to contain Sneijder well. However, Badstuber will surely suffer against the pace of Eto’o, and if Maicon is given the freedom to bomb down the flank, Bayern will collapse in time. On the other side, Robben/Lahm combination is frighteningly good, while Zanetti/Chivu held well against Messi/Alves of Barca. So overall, Inter has the slight advantage over Bayern, based on a stronger right flank and solid back four.
sorry mcgie76, this wasnt intended as a reply to you, although i do think what you say is absolutely right
I beg to differ. Louis van Gaal is very much a tactician, and one of the best around. He has always adjusted his teams to play to the strengths of his players and the weaknesses of his opponents. I’ve actually never heard anyone discredit him as a tactician actually. He was a big influence on Mourinho. Even total football is a very tactical philosophy and Bayern this season are actually a great example of what a good tactician he is. He has made a lot of subtle changes since the beginning of the season, constantly refining the squad and the players.
I didn’t mean to imply he wasn’t a tactician, but he’s not someone who changes the game at the least minute. His tactical work is based around players knowing what they are supposed to be doing at all times and having a better plan than the opposition. Read “The Coaching Philosophy of Louis Van Gaal” for more information. It is a fascinating book from any perspective. He is a firm believer in doing on the training field how you are going to play in the game. Rather than have dossiers on the opposition, he relies on taking his game to the them.
“…..This is a very interesting game because it will tell a tale as much about preparation in a physical sense as it will in terms of tactics or strategy. All things being equal though, it will come down to mentality, and Mourinho might just be able to play better psychological cards than Van Gaal…..”
…there is the biggest advantage IMO for Bayern. The game comes at a the perfect time for them. They reached their peak just at the right time of the season, it is a young team with a very bright future, LvG will stay also the next season (he loves this team), Ribery just signed for the next 4 years…. they built up such an ingredible momentum and spirit over the last months and they are totally focused on this game…
In comparison the rumors about Mourinho going to RM, his statements about Italian football, the age of the team (it was a very long season for some of the players while Bayern players seem to become fresher and fresher with every game)….. all these small things will make the difference in the end….
Interesting point, but nothing ever comes out of Mourinho’s mouth that isn’t planned to have an effect on some part of his team. With all the speculation about him going to Madrid, and with the love that his players have for him, what would better motivate them than JM going into the dressing room and saying “all the rumors are untrue – I’m signing a contract extension” or “I’m staying 2 more seasons”. Even if it’s only partially true, it instantly focuses the players on only the game and nothing more.
Alternatively, Mourinho can appeal to the player’s sense of “Last-Chanceness” to motivate them further to win the trophy. He can do that because he is a player’s coach. Van Gaal on the other hand is rarely loved by his players (although always respected). His motivational philosophy comes more from science and logic rather than emotion and if he can’t get into his players heads the way Mourinho can, any setback for Bayern might become a crisis in the dressing room or on the field if Van Gaal can’t find an immediate solution.
…I don’t aggree (but it will be interesting to see who’s right …lol
)… LvG changed a little bit… and it might be hard to explain, but at this stage for him Munich is the right place to be…. the players and he developed a special bond over the season…. and the team and he proved in all of the CL games very well that they can cope with any setback….they developping even further each game and at this stage it seems there is no limit, while for Inter it seems there is not much room left to improve …. one reason Mourinho will (likely) leave at the end of this season….
All disagreements aside, I think it’s interesting that this might be the first Champion’s League in a long time where the coaches are center stage more so than the players.
Regardless of the fact that I’m an Inter and Mourinho fan, as well as a Van Gaal fan, this is an exciting final in the build up, even if it’s not the two “best” teams in the final.
It is hard to guess the outcome.
What I observed in the German cup final against Werder. Robben switched several times to the left, which I do not remember in the games i saw before. I expect Bayern to do this tomorrow. Robben switching to the left, outplaying maicon together with Altintop and making crosses to the center, where olic and muller will wait.
Lucio had always problems playing against fast and small players. This will be one way to exploit his weakness, I think.
Lucio has been mistake-free lately but his history dictates that he’s always due for a hiccup here or there… As you have stated: smaller players who can pressure the ball- i.e. Olic and Muller will definitely play to his weaknesses. It should be interesting to see if Inter’s CBs, which have been airtight to this point, get exposed a bit against FCB.
…a very “interesting” game for Lucio; although he says that it is a normal game, he is very emotional character and I don’t think he will forget the way he left Bayern (LvG didn’t guarantee him that he would be the first choice…)… I would expect that it is in his head that he want to proof LvG wrong which might lead him to some actions that indeed will proof LvG right ….
One important thing tomorrow would be patience – more so for Inter
They are tired after a long tough season & would be a different team after 75 mins..
But they would look to get a goal b4 that. Eto to score after half time & Stankovic to come as a sub & score in the last ten mins – 2-0 for Inter.. Just be patient Inter..
“Just be patient Inter” – why on earth would you be worried about inter being impatient? patience, sitting back, waiting for an opposition mistake is what they, under mourinho, do best, and is no doubt what they’ll do on saturday.
Well since I’m not fans of both team I just wanna say good luck for them and may the best team wins!
“The two have further similarities. Van Gaal’s Champions League win with Ajax in 1995 was probably the 1990s equivalent of Mourinho’s success with Porto in 2004, probably the most impressive European Cup wins of those respective decades.”
Can’t agree with that. 1995’s Ajax was the nursery of promising youths (Kluivert, Kanu, Seedorf, Davids, Overmars) (with some exceptions like Rijkaard) who all become world class players. On the other hand, 2004’s Porto were a side composed of rather seasoned players (Jorge Costa, Vitor Baia, Costinha, Alenichev), average players (McCarthy) and some class players (Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, Maniche). Ajax relied more on their own assets and strength than on their opponents’ weaknesses like Mourinho’s Porto did.
While I do agree that Porto’s win is the most impressive CL win of the 2000’s, I think that successes like Dortmund’s or Marseilles’s in the 1990’s were far more impressive than Ajax’s regarding the rosters they had and the opponents they faced. Let’s remember that the AC Milan side Ajax won against was a declining one, only finishing fourth in their league while Dortmund had to defeat one of the greatest Juve sides and Marseilles won over an AC Milan side which only lost twice that year in their domestic league and remained in the top spot from the fourth round on.
I think Zanetti might play at left back because he’s done a great job there this season (especially against Messi). If Inter need a good passer next to Cambiasso they should use Stanković and the defense won’t suffer with him either because he always leaves his heart out on the pitch. He can also take the burden off sneijder in attack if there is too much pressure on him.
I’m Serbian so my opinion is totally bias but I still think it’s a viable option.
well i;m not a tectician but i’m a fan of JM Everything he does has an air of confidence in it at times he may like arrogant but thats his way doingthings.
Inter have defeated the best of spain and england who are argubaly the best teams in europe( the best of eurpoe is perhaps the best of the wolrd ). Had this Buyern team squared up against chalsea or espacialy barca they would have been ripped apart, they only managed to beat MU who were the one man show and have faced no team that have a quality of barca or chalsea
on the basis of this i would love to see inter win
i mean the best spain is the best the world
is one of this teams an aspirant for the “20 sides of the 2010s”?
of course we don’t know today, but if you look at Mourinho’s pragmatism and van Gaal’s style. one good year in europe is not enough, but who knows how long this teams keep performing on this level.
I see it like ZM. Inter will press a little on the wings, because Robben needs Lahm and Maicon has an advantage on the right playing against Altintop or Badstuber. But Altintop is a much better defender then Ribery and he has proven his skills against Lyon (and i think against United also). The movement of Muller and Demichelis (if possible) will be important for the Bayern game.
I think it’s a 50:50 game, and i hope we’ll see a good game (and not the annual repetition of a Messi, Ronaldo, or Rooney show).
For me this will be a very interesting game where both sides will try to attack on the right flank. We might not see a lot of counter attacking plays, but a lot more build up play. Which will play right into Jose’s hands with the extra man in midfield.
But I just have the feeling that Bayern will try to and able to exploit Lucio to commit faults which will negate his aggressive defending.
Good read
I think Inter would get the better of Bayern this time around
check this out too – it’s a good read
http://footballparadise.blogspot.com/2010/05/2010-champions-league-final-preview.html
..1 hour to go ….. the better team and the football should win, great side and thanks to all the fair comments (how boring would it be if everyone would have the same opinion
?)
…now lets enjoy it….
Team news is in – line-ups are correct
The only thing is that Zanetti is playing on the right side of central midfield. It is probably to support the right side in attacking aspect.
Respect Inter! … Milito is a killer, one and a half chances and 2 goals … Bayern wasn’t able to put enough pressure on Inter so IMO a deserved win … oh well, Bayern will have a chance again next year…