Can Inter Manager Simone Inzaghi Upset Manchester City?

The image from last night at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico felt like a déjà vu to the Italian soccer fans: a smiling Simone Inzaghi posing for a picture with a fresh piece of silverware in his hands.

“We want to compete for everything, we have the last two league games and then Istanbul,” Inzaghi told Mediaset following Inter’s 2-1 victory over Fiorentina in the 2022/23 Coppa Italia final.

Now, the question that many soccer fans have begun asking is, does he have what it takes to beat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League final?

Inzaghi, who boasts over 250 appearances as a striker in Italy’s professional soccer, kicked off his managerial career in 2016 with Lazio. After unexpectedly clinching three domestic cups with the Biancocelesti, he joined Inter in 2021, where he continued to add silverware to his personal trophy wall.

Over a seven-year span as a head coach in Italy’s top-flight, Inzaghi has won seven out of eight cup finals across Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana. What’s more, the 47-year-old Italian manager has carried Inter to their first UEFA Champions League final since 2010.

Inzaghi’s 87.5% winning record in cup finals have earned him the nickname of “Re Delle Coppe,” or “Cups’ King,” in the Italian soccer community.

Such remarkable statistics denote his ability to bring out the best from his players when everything is on the line, a trait that has not gone unnoticed to the eyes of Inter’s rivals.

“They impressed me for what they do, for their body language,” Guardiola told Gazzetta dello Sport when asked about his next UEFA Champions League opponent. “I called some friends in Italy to ask an opinion on Inter: They told me to be on the lookout because they don’t joke around.”

Bookmakers strongly favor Manchester City’s odds to hoist Europe’s shiniest trophy, which contributes to putting Inzaghi’s managerial skills to the test ahead of the highly-anticipated final in Istanbul, Turkey on June 10.

The Piacenza-born head coach will try to leverage the strengths of his trademarked 3-5-2 system, which could especially destabilize Manchester City on the flanks, where the restless work of wing-backs Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries could give Inter the numerical advantage both offensively and defensively.

In the midfield, Inter have weapons in Nicolò Barella’s off-the-ball runs and Hakan Calhanoglu’s superb striking skills, but they cannot expect to dominate ball possession against Manchester City’s Rodri, İlkay Gündoğan, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva.

On top, the Nerazzurri will rely on the outstanding form of 2022 FIFA World Cup champion Lautaro Martinez, who is having his most prolific season this year under Inzaghi with 27 goals in all competitions.

At the same time, Inzaghi needs to mastermind a strategy to contain Manchester City’s seemingly-unstoppable attacking efforts, which this year produced 94 goals in the English Premier League and 31 goals in the UEFA Champions League, the most of any club in Europe.

Perhaps more than any tactical adjustment, however, Inter’s most valuable asset will be Inzaghi’s ability to instill the right amount of pressure, adrenaline and confidence into his players, as they prepare to feature in the world’s grandest soccer event.

Because Inzaghi is still somewhat unproven at the international level, the UEFA Champions League final represents an opportunity to maintain his successful record in knockout ties and thus validate his status as the “Cups’ King” even outside of the Italian boundaries.