Arsenal's loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the other Champions League semi-final prompted the unsurprising backlash against Mikel Arteta, who is labeled the Nearly Manager following his inability (even though he hasn’t truly failed in this situation) to guide the Gunners to a trophy for the fourth consecutive season.
He was 'outcoached' by Luis Enrique, having presumably, by that reasoning, 'outcoached' the most successful Champions League manager ever in the prior round against Real Madrid. For certain fans and many competitors – whom we believe might have hidden agendas – the solution is for the Arsenal board to dismiss the individual who has guided them to their first Champions League semi-final in 16 years and probably their third consecutive second-place finish in the Premier League.
After 21 minutes in Barcelona, we braced ourselves for more dramatics from those demanding Arteta's dismissal, as the top contender to succeed him at the Emirates had seen his underdog team take a two-goal lead at the Olympic Stadium. Those demands might only lessen a bit after Simone Inzaghi once more demonstrated his tactical skills to depart Catalonia with a draw.
In January, right after Arsenal's defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final and Liverpool's advancement in the Premier League title race, it was asserted that Inzaghi was the club's ideal choice to succeed Arteta.
That's reasonable. He returned Lazio to the Champions League after 12 years, has secured three Italian Cups (one with Lazio; two with Inter), won the Serie A title last season, is currently contending with Napoli for another Scudetto, and led an underestimated Inter to the Champions League final in 2023 and is currently held in such high esteem that he’s viewed as the main factor why this Inter team, lacking players comparable to PSG, Barcelona, or Arsenal, might succeed this season.
Marcus Thuram provided them with an ideal beginning by scoring the quickest goal in Champions League semi-final history, and the match continued without pause, generating similar moments of awe from that point forward.
The Frenchman’s ridiculously skillful half-volley flick from Denzel Dumfries’ cross occurred within the first 30 seconds. Although Barcelona later gained momentum, Dumfries extended their lead halfway through the first half with an acrobatic shot as Inter exploited Barcelona’s clearly subpar defending, which was just as evident as their exceptional quality in attack.
Lamine Yamal could very well be the most gifted young person to have ever accomplished anything, anywhere, at any time. In his 100th match for Barcelona, the 17-year-old netted a spectacular goal, fighting to regain possession by the sidelines and then smoothly advancing towards the box, shifting one shoulder, then the other, before bending the ball in off the post, leaving Yann Sommer with no opportunity. We understand that we shouldn’t make that comparison, but we’re uncertain if we’ve witnessed a player make top-tier rivals appear like statues in that fashion since the height of Lionel Messi.
He’s an utter delight and almost netted another outrageous goal two minutes afterward, humiliating Federico Dimarco with a stepover and a chop back onto his left foot before compelling a fantastic fingertip save from Sommer that sent the ball onto the bar.
Barcelona equalized when Pedri delivered a great cross to the back post, where Raphinha headed it to Ferran Torres for an easy finish. At that point, it seemed inevitable that Barcelona would take the lead as Sommer saved a shot from Dani Olmo and a Torres attempt went just off target. Inter were feeling the pressure.
However, it can be contended that Inter, following a second half where they once again exploited Barcelona’s defensive weaknesses to gain the lead from a corner and generate additional counterattack opportunities after Raphinha’s powerful strike equalized, including a goal disallowed due to Henrikh Mkhitaryan's toe being offside, will believe they deserved to win the match.
Currently, they have an excellent opportunity to reach a second final in three years with Inzaghi, whose squad will still be labeled as "well-drilled," as is typical for all less skilled teams. However, Inter are trained to strike as well as to defend resolutely, as they had to do in this situation.
You can observe the effort put into training on transitions; they're exceptional at it. Players in attacking positions seldom find themselves isolated even when under pressure, as their ability to execute one-touch passes and their excellent spatial awareness regarding their teammates turn them into a significant threat whenever they regain possession, especially against a Barcelona team employing a high defensive line.
It is just as unjust to reduce Barcelona to Lamine Yamal, who stands out among many other talented players at the club, as it is to imply that Inter’s achievements are exclusively due to Inzaghi.
However, similar to Yamal, Inzaghi plays a pivotal role in his team's narrative, which will keep Arsenal and those who criticize Arteta viewing him as the 'ideal' that could materialize if the Spaniard is unable to guide them to ultimate success.
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