Inter Milan and Simone Inzaghi Face Huge Test to Replicate Serie A Dominance in the Champions League

Pep Guardiola has no doubts.

“Inter Milan are a special side and they can definitely win the Champions League,” the Spaniard said on Tuesday.

High praise indeed coming from the man who has lifted the Premier League title over the past four seasons and, crucially, masterminded the Nerazzurri’s downfall in the 2023 Champions League final.

Manchester City and Inter meet again on Wednesday night, their first clash since Rodri’s strike in Istanbul sealed a historic Treble.

And Guardiola believes Inter are a more dangerous opponent than they were 18 months ago, when they reached the Champions League final for the first time in 12 years.

“They have grown compared to the Istanbul final,” he said. 

“They are a complete team, they have been the best in Italy by far, and Serie A is a very competitive league.”

It would be hard to argue with the sentiment. 

Inter lost just twice en route to their first Scudetto in three years last term, with 94 points, the most since Juventus amassed 95 in the 2017-18 season.

The Nerazzurri’s 19-point gap over second placed AC Milan was the biggest since Inter finished 22 points ahead of Roma in 2006-07, the first season post-Calciopoli scandal.

They arrive into their Champions League opener third in Serie A, two points behind surprise leaders Udinese with eight points in four matches. 

The Scudetto was Simone Inzaghi’s sixth major trophy in three seasons at the San Siro, making him the third-most successful manager in the club’s history behind only Helenio Herrera and Roberto Mancini.

The pair won seven major trophies with the Beneamata and Inzaghi may well overtake them both come the end of the campaign.

Can Inzaghi translate domestic dominance into European glory?

Were he to do so by winning the Champions League, the 48-year-old would have a strong case to be considered Inter’s greatest ever manager.

Translating domestic dominance onto the European stage, however, has hitherto not been easy for Inzaghi, whose side crashed out in the Round of 16 against Liverpool in 2022 and Atletico Madrid last season. 

The latter of those two exits still stings, as Inter led 2-0 on aggregate, before losing on penalties in Madrid.

For Lautaro Martinez and Inter it proved to be a night to forget in a season to remember.

The Argentine missed the crucial penalty as the Nerazzurri crashed out, arguably the only blot in an otherwise near-flawless season.

The Inter captain finished as Serie A’s top goalscorer with 24 goals and his burgeoning partnership with Marcus Thuram cemented the pair as the division’s best striking duo.

But while the Frenchman has scored four goals in his first four Serie A appearances this term, the Argentine is yet to open his account.

Martinez has looked sluggish so far this season, hardly a surprise considering he had effectively no pre-season to speak of after inspiring Argentina to Copa America glory and winning the Golden Boot in the process.

Away at Monza on Sunday night neither the Inter captain nor Thuram managed a shot on goal, as Inter laboured to an underwhelming 1-1 draw thanks to Denzel Dumries’ 88th minute equaliser.

Inzaghi, however, has steadfastly dismissed concerns over Martinez’s form.

“Martinez is our captain, he’s going to score us a lot of goals,” he said.  

“He’s never a problem for us, but always the solution. We just need to understand that he hasn’t been able to train consistently. By playing games he’ll find his best form.”

According to Sky Italy, however, the Argentine on Wednesday night could make way for Mehdi Taremi, who arrived from Porto as a free agent this summer 

Why rotation is key for Inzaghi

Rotation has been one of the key topics of debates around Inter so far this season.

Davide Frattesi, Italy’s top scorer over the past 12 months under Luciano Spalletti, played only 53 minutes across the first three Serie A fixtures, before making his first start against Monza.

Kristjan Asllani had featured for just 41 minutes over the same three matches, before starting at the U-Power Stadium on Sunday night.

Similarly, Piotr Zielinski, who like Taremi arrived on a free this summer, has only played 34 minutes of football so far.

For all of Juventus and Napoli’s spending, Inter’s squad remains by far the most complete in Serie A but it does present Inzaghi with several selection dilemmas, as will Federico Dimarco’s injury.

In a major blow for his manager, the left-back will miss the game against City with a leg problem and remains a doubt for Sunday’s derby against AC Milan, 

Dimarco’s absence could be sorely felt at the Etihad, particularly as Inter have looked defensively vulnerable away from home in Serie A this season, drawing on their trips to Genoa and Monza and conceding three times in the process.

It is hardly the ideal omen when facing Erling Haaland, who could notch his 100th goal in 104 matches for City on Wednesday night.

It is also the perfect opportunity for Inter to prove Guardiola right and show they have got better since Istanbul.