There are more than a few echoes of how Jose Mourinho’s Inter played in how this current iteration under Simone Inzaghi does in the Champions League.
This is proposed in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who suggest that, like the Portuguese coach’s Nerazzurri, Inzaghi’s may not play the most beautiful football but are nevertheless always an exciting spectacle in the Champions League.
Whilst Inter have tended to be a very possession-focused team in the league since Inzaghi took over, in Europe it has often been a different story.
This was certainly the case in the team’s group stage matches against Barcelona, whilst particularly in the away leg of the round of sixteen tie against Porto, the Nerazzurri were more than willing to concede most of the ball to the opposition.
This did not mean, however, that the matches against Barcelona and Porto lacked excitement and drama.
Far from it, the discipline and intensity with which the Nerazzurri approached those matches meant that they were nail-biting matches which produced, particularly in supporters, as much joy as a more stylish win would.
For the Gazzetta, this is evidence of a kind of return of the Mourinho vintage of Inter in European competition.
