Inzaghi, Guardiola a long time coming, who gets the cup?

Posted : 10 June 2023

In November 2001, Pep Guardiola faced Simona Inzaghi for the first time during a match between Lazio and Brescia. Guardiola, a Catalan midfielder, had left Barcelona to join the modest Italian team led by coach Carlo Mazzona. Brescia had a strong start to the season and was leading the league at the time. However, the game ended in Guardiola's first defeat in Italy, with Lazio securing a convincing 5-0 victory.

During the match, Lazio's striking duo of Hernán Crespo and Simona Inzaghi played a significant role in dismantling Brescia's defense. Their collaboration was evident through their celebrations, showcasing their enjoyment of working together on the field. Guardiola struggled to make an impact in the midfield, which was completely dominated by Dejan Stankovic and Fabio Liberani, leaving him unable to respond effectively.

The upcoming Champions League final will see Guardiola and Inzaghi face each other as coaches, continuing their football journey. Guardiola's time at Brescia taught him a crucial lesson about playing for an underdog team— the importance of ball possession. Coming from a background of coaching elite teams like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, Guardiola was unaccustomed to being dominated in midfield, as was the case against Lazio.

This experience further reinforced his belief in the necessity of ball control, which he has applied throughout his coaching career. As a result, he often prioritized building teams with a strong midfield and occasionally forgoing a traditional striker. However, the current season has witnessed a notable shift in Guardiola's approach with the arrival of Erling Haaland, leading to a more traditional formation with a classic number 9.

Inzaghi's time at Lazio, particularly his collaboration with Crespo, highlighted a valuable lesson for him. In contrast to the modern trend of playing with a single striker or without any strikers, Inzaghi prefers to combine two strikers on the field. This approach was easily implemented during his tenure at Inter in 2021, where he inherited a team built around the pairing of a "big striker" and a "little striker" in Romelu Lukaku and Lisandro Martinez. Although Lukaku left for Chelsea, Inzaghi replaced him with Edin Dzeko, a traditional center-forward with similar physical attributes. This season, Lukaku has returned on loan, providing Inzaghi with the option to combine him with Lisandro or Dzeko, and occasionally even play both Lukaku and Dzeko together.

When examining the coaching styles of Guardiola and Inzaghi, notable differences emerge. Guardiola has always been fascinated by intricate ideas, employing positional changes, dual roles for midfielders and defenders, and numerous tactical instructions aimed at creating a semi-automatic and partly improvised style of play. While this approach can be spectacular and successful, Guardiola has faced criticism for occasionally overthinking and attempting to reinvent the wheel for important matches.

In contrast, Inzaghi symbolizes simplicity. He believes that the most effective coordination among players comes from clear job definitions for each position. A winger remains a winger, a defender fulfills defensive duties, and a striker focuses on scoring goals. Inzaghi grants creative players in midfield the freedom to express themselves and trusts their abilities.

The upcoming final holds different stakes for Inzaghi and Guardiola. Inzaghi has already turned a challenging season into a success by winning the Italian Cup, securing a Champions League spot, and achieving a remarkable European final qualification. The match in Istanbul is seen as a bonus, and Inzaghi aims to bring closure for his brother Pippo, who suffered a dramatic loss to Liverpool in the famous final of 2005. Regardless, Inzaghi approaches the game with a sense of freedom, even accepting defeat with understanding.

On the other hand, this is a crucial moment for Guardiola. Champions League success is of utmost importance for his teams, and the absence of a trophy since 2011 has marred his otherwise impressive resume. Manchester City has yet to claim the coveted trophy, and the bitter memory of the defeat to Chelsea in the previous final, where Guardiola opted to play without a midfielder, lingers. This time, he has an opportunity to achieve a treble, making history alongside Manchester United in 1999.

A victory would mark Guardiola's best season since leaving Barcelona, but another loss could further solidify a "loser" label, regardless of his outstanding results in England.

Guardiola is aware that Inzaghi holds a perfect record against him thus far, including a beautiful goal orchestrated by Crespo. The question arises whether Inter's two strikers will prove more effective than Manchester City's lone striker in the final showdown.

Inzaghi, Guardiola a long time coming, who gets the cup?

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