Champions League | Inter vs. Barca: explosion or implosion

The mood at Inter Milan is defiant. "You never know what can happen in football. We're aiming for the Champions League final," said midfielder Kristjan Asslani. The Albanian spoke with the conviction of a winner. His successful kick from the penalty spot gave Inter's B team a narrow 1-0 win over Hellas Verona on Saturday. With this, Inter at least stopped a losing streak in Serie A, which had previously included two defeats and one draw in four matches.

However, the Nerazzurri have squandered their chance of a treble in recent weeks due to a lack of concentration and a physical decline. Instead of leading the table three points ahead of their closest rivals Napoli, they are now three points behind in Serie A. Furthermore, they suffered a rather miserable semifinal exit from the domestic cup in their city clash against AC Milan.

This was also due to strange lapses by key players like Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Nicolo Barella in midfield, as well as Federico Dimarco on the wing. Added to this were injuries to Denzel Dumfries and Marcus Thuram. But even the second suit didn't fit. Asslani, the match-winner against Verona, played a major role in the Coppa Italia exit. Iranian Mehdi Taremi, signed from FC Porto in the summer with much advance praise, didn't assert himself as a third striker alongside Thuram and captain Lautaro Martinez. And young German international Yann Bisseck didn't provide the stability in central defense that coach Inzaghi had hoped for.

Criticism of the successful coach

Even the successful coach came under criticism for the losing streak, so much so that president Giuseppe Marotta felt compelled to publicly defend him: "When evaluating Inzaghi, it's not the weeks that count, but the years. We've had great years recently. And what we've achieved so far is largely thanks to him." Even if Barca are eliminated and the team finishes second behind Napoli, the former Lazio striker's job is likely to be secure. He can then look forward to brother-coach duels with Filippo next year. The more famous of the two Inzaghi brothers, a former Champions League winner with AC Milan, just secured promotion to Serie A with Pisa.

At the moment, however, the more successful brother, who is also a coach, is more likely thinking about how to keep Lamine Yamal under control this Tuesday. This could be done by double- or even triple-marking the wing, speculated the Gazzetta dello Sport. However, that would leave more room for the other attacking talents of Hansi Flick's Barcelona, ​​who are also not entirely inept on the ball. Inzaghi faces arguably the most difficult task of his coaching career.

Problems off the field

In addition, striker Lautaro Martinez is struggling with a muscle injury and only returned to team training at the beginning of the week. His teammates are exhausted. Inter have already played 54 matches. During the treble victory in 2010, they played 57 in the entire season. Despite being eliminated from the Coppa Italia, they could still play 61 matches this season, including the three scheduled matches in the Club World Cup. This has reignited the debate about calendar inflation, even in Italy.

There are also problems off the pitch. This weekend, an Inter fan stabbed an Atalanta Bergamo supporter in a dispute. Several Inter ultras are also involved in a criminal case involving extortion and links to organized crime. Because some players and officials had close contact with the allegedly criminal elements in the fan base, coach Inzaghi and midfielder Çalhanoğlu were recently suspended for one match.

Next football festival at San Siro?

These are the unpleasant aftertastes of a season that has been quite successful so far. In the 3-3 draw in Barcelona, ​​Inter even impressed their rivals. Manchester City's iconic coach Pep Guardiola said after the first leg: "I'm surprised at how good the match was. If you play like that, the stadiums will never be empty. Inter has once again demonstrated how well-organized the team is and how perfectly they master transition play."

After the fireworks display featuring six goals, including an Inter goal ruled out for a minimal offside, one can look forward to a top-class return match. "For the evening of May 6th, forget all other appointments," the "Gazzetta dello Sport" urged all sports fans and non-sports fans alike. It had declared the first leg "probably the most beautiful match of the season." In the match after the most beautiful match, it's now all or nothing for Inter. More suspense is hard to imagine. Whether it will lead to explosion or implosion, we'll know late Tuesday evening.