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Champions League Final 2025: Inter’s Date with Destiny?
- Mehdi Arhab
- May 30
- 6 min read
Two years after their heartbreaking defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League final, Inter have another shot at bringing the big-eared trophy back home. Against PSG, the Nerazzurri will once again face an opponent that thrives in their opponent’s half. But contrary to popular belief, this setup doesn’t exactly suit the Italians best; they’re much more comfortable pressing high than sitting deep. Here’s a closer look at Simone Inzaghi’s side ahead of their date with destiny.
No regrets – that’s the watchword for Inter heading into this final on May 31. The Beneamata has a golden opportunity to claim its fourth European crown and join Ajax among the most decorated clubs in Europe. And you can be sure the Nerazzurri will leave nothing on the pitch in pursuit of that trophy – a prize they haven’t lifted in 15 years, since the days of Javier Zanetti and Diego Milito, when they conquered Bayern Munich in Madrid. For a team that’s looked out of gas at times this season – especially after surrendering the Serie A title – this is a chance for redemption, a chance to remind Europe they’re still one of its most formidable sides.
Inter defies the clichés of Italian football. This is a team that’s both elegant and adaptable, one that can contradict the flow of the match in ways that few expect. It’s a team in the image of Simone Inzaghi, who replaced Antonio Conte in 2021 after a long stint at Lazio. Under Inzaghi, Inter has proven far more fascinating than some might have thought.
Inzaghi’s reign has seen its ups and downs – but mostly ups. Inter clinched the Serie A title in 2024, dominating with ruthless consistency. They also picked up two Coppa Italia titles (2022, 2023) and, crucially, reestablished themselves as a European heavyweight. Conte had taken them to the Europa League final in 2020; Inzaghi went one better, leading them to the Champions League final in 2023, where only Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City juggernaut could halt them, 1-0. Whom were enjoying a spectacular season, including a hat-trick.
A complete team, but not perfect
Beyond a certain form of aesthetic discussed above, which we will revisit later, Inter under Inzaghi is superbly prepared and fiercely competitive. Reaching two Champions League finals in three years – like Juventus under Allegri in 2015 and 2017 – is no fluke. This is a team, and a coach, that read the game and outsmart its rivals. Inzaghi, always with a tactical trick up his sleeve, has become a master at adjusting to hostile environments. His side can defend deep, press high, or shift seamlessly in between.
Nominally a 3-5-2, Inter morphs fluidly throughout matches. They adapt to their opponent’s strengths and weaknesses in real-time. And unlike the stereotype of Italian caution, Inzaghi isn’t afraid to push high and go man-to-man. In the semi-final first leg in Barcelona, faced with a three-man build-up structure featuring Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, and Inigo Martinez, the Italian coach pushed Henrikh Mkhitaryan, usually a midfielder, further up the pitch to mirror the Catalan organization (Thuram vs Cubarsí, Mkhitaryan vs Koundé, Lautaro Martinez vs Inigo Martinez). The result? A breathtaking opening 20 minutes that suffocated Barcelona’s build-up.
This adaptability is what makes Inter so dangerous. Against Barcelona, home and away, the Nerazzurri proved they can hold their nerve in a high press. In San Siro, it was precisely two high recoveries that turned the tide – Dani Olmo crumbling under Inter’s pressure for the opener, and Gerard Martin forced into a mistake that led to the second goal.
Vertical, Fluid and Daring
Few sides in Europe move the ball as elegantly as Inter. In possession, only a handful of teams – Barcelona, Arsenal, Liverpool, City, and PSG – surpass them. But in the transition out of their own third, Inter are in a league of their own. Their ideas, their boundless creativity, and their agility in advancing the ball into the final 30 meters are simply impressive. Their unpredictability makes them almost unreadable and a nightmare to press.
Inter can count on the sharp vision and clever interpretations of Hakan Çalhanoğlu, who often drops into the backline to initiate play; on the ability of Federico Dimarco to combine with teammates and hug the touchline; on Nicolò Barella’s tenacity and knack for absorbing pressure; on the hold-up play of their two strikers, Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram; and on the left foot and daring forward surges of centre-back Alessandro Bastoni. The latter is far more than just a stopper – he’s a total footballer, much like the kind of defenders Conte and Inzaghi value. Perhaps the most complete, yet still the most underrated player in this side.
Bastoni, in particular, has been shaped largely by Conte and refined by Inzaghi. A classy defender, strong in duels, quick to read space and anticipate danger, he’s central to Inzaghi’s setup. Whether as a centre-back, an asymmetrical full-back in a four-man defense, or an offensive midfielder when Inter has the ball, he’s indispensable to the team’s flow. His understanding with Dimarco – more winger than wing-back – and Dumfries on the right is a major asset for the 2025 Serie A runners-up. Without Bastoni, Inter has often struggled, both to protect their own box and to breathe new life into their attacks. His substitutions in crucial games – like the Milan derby defeat early in the season (2-1), the loss to Juventus in Turin (1-0), the draw against Napoli in March (1-1), and the recent 2-2 against Parma – have all been followed by goals conceded. In the heated title race with Napoli, these lapses ultimately cost Inter their dream of back-to-back league titles.
The Height of the Block: A Constant Dilemma
But overall, Inter stands out as the top team in Italy because it truly ranks among Europe’s elite. Despite their attacking elegance, Inter are fundamentally an Italian team: they know how to defend. But they no longer have the ironclad defensive record of seasons past – conceding 35 goals in Serie A this year, compared to just 22 last season. Their defensive certainty in a low block has eroded, and they now prefer to press high, defending at the source, and thus defend far from their goal.
In the Champions League, their defense had been rock-solid until the quarter-final clash with Bayern Munich. Before that, they’d only conceded twice. But against Bayern and then in the semi-finals, they shipped nine goals, revealing cracks under pressure. Faced with the creative force of Barcelona and their sharpness on the ball, Inter found themselves under rare and intense pressure, forced to desperately clear cross-field passes from the likes of Lamine Yamal and Pedri. In these chaotic moments, Inter’s central defenders had to multiply their efforts, blocking six shots in the first leg alone. Against Bayern Munich – especially at home and even more so at the Allianz Arena – Inter also struggled to cope with Vincent Kompany’s tactical tweaks, which Hansi Flick only further exploited in the semi-finals.
The Parisian Pressing Threat
Ironically, Inter has looked most comfortable when they press high themselves, as they showed in the goals against Barcelona. But they can’t camp in PSG’s half for 90 minutes – the risk of getting caught on the counter is too great. Like Barcelona, PSG’s pressing is relentless. Luis Enrique’s side might just be the best in Europe at pinning teams in and forcing mistakes near their own box.
The Parisians, one of Europe’s most incisive teams, will be playing for history, chasing a historic treble. Over the past two decades, only Barça (in 2009 and 2015), Bayern Munich (in 2013 and 2020), Manchester City (in 2023), and… Inter (in 2010) have managed such a feat.
The PSG is the youngest side to reach the final since Ajax in 1995. Inter, meanwhile, are one of Europe’s oldest teams – with an average age of 29 against PSG’s 23.5. Lautaro Martinez, who is expected to start on Saturday night (barring any major surprises), hasn’t set foot on the pitch since the second leg of the semi-final against Barcelona. Benjamin Pavard, also available for the final, hasn’t played an official match since he was forced off early against Roma on April 27. Inter’s demanding style has taken its toll, and most of their key players (except Barella) have faced injury spells this season. Still, Inter will pour every last ounce of energy into this battle, armed with plenty of strengths. One wild stat says it all: they’ve only trailed for about fifteen minutes total in the entire tournament. Only Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Barcelona have managed to take the lead against them.
With or without the ball, Inter remains lethal. And let’s not forget their set-piece dominance: they’re Europe’s best on corners, even better than Arsenal. Dumfries, Thuram, Lautaro – and even Bastoni, Acerbi and Pavard – make them exceptional aerial threats.
In the five major leagues, no team today is more dominant than Inter. In Serie A, they’ve won nearly 60% of aerial duels; in the Champions League, 56%. Over half of their corners result in shots. Whether lofted or whipped, with Dimarco and Çalhanoğlu delivering, Inter can kill off games from dead-ball situations. Just ask Bayern, who fell to two corners in five minutes at San Siro, or Barcelona, who suffered the same fate on their own turf. You can bet Inzaghi has taken note of PSG’s own set-piece frailties.
