Before Man City beat Inter Milan in the 2022-2023 Champions League final, Pep Guardiola was asked about the special features of The Citizens that make them the biggest candidate for the championship.
“I learned that when you play against players like Saka, Vinicius, Martinelli, Salah or Mane, you need defenders who are good enough to win one-on-one duels. At Champions League level, it only takes one situation for them to get past you,” the Man City captain shared.
However, this was not the factor that helped Man City beat Inter in Istanbul. Recently, in the opening match of the 2024-2025 Champions League between the two teams, this was once again proven to be unimportant.
Inter were away at the Etihad but managed to take a point. Man City failed to score from a number of good chances, but there is no denying that Nezzaruri could have won this game too. Mehdi Taremi missed a couple of good chances, Henrikh Mkhitaryan shot over the bar in the last minute and a few offside calls hampered the visitors' attacks.
Most of Inter's dangerous situations came from direct counter-attacks, or from quick combinations after escaping Man City's pressure. However, it is worth noting that Simone Inzaghi's team hardly tried to dribble past their opponents. According to the statistics after the match, Inter players only successfully dribbled once.
The clash with Man City at the Etihad was a typical Inter game. Tactically, Italian football has never been a breeding ground for dribblers. A country that values defensive solidity, tightness in play and putting results first.
Traditionally, Italian football has not favoured wingers – who are often associated with dribbling – and instead relies on star players in the “number 10” position, with wingers primarily tasked with defending and helping out their teammates rather than breaking through.
In the 21st century, there may not be a truly great Italian winger, but they have plenty of quality players in other positions. Inter Milan under Simone Inzaghi were a team that exemplified this philosophy, both attractive and effective.
Not only did Inter Milan win Serie A convincingly last season, they have also played in the cup competitions to match their style. Inzaghi’s results in knockout matches at Lazio and now Inter have been impressive, having taken the team to the Champions League final just over a year ago.
Inter offer almost everything: defensive solidity, the ability to build from the back, cunning in midfield, good combination play from the attackers and speedy runs down the flanks. However, what they almost never prioritise is dribbling past opponents.
Statistically, only three teams in the national championship scored more goals than Inter last season: Man City, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. There is usually a clear correlation between goals scored and dribbles completed. However, the Giuseppe Meazza team is an exception. They completed the fewest dribbles of the 96 teams in Europe's top five national championships last season.
Inzaghi used a 3-5-2 formation in all of Serie A last season and there is no sign of a change this season. Without the wingers, the team will also have fewer dribbles. However, this may also be a reflection of Inzaghi's view on the need for dribblers, rather than his being constrained by a system.
Although Inter are an outlier, they reflect the culture of Italian football. Nezzaruri is still excellent at developing quick combinations that cut across the opposition defence. In deeper areas, Inter's defenders often push forward, creating positional interchanges with the midfielders, bringing efficiency to the attack.
