Italian Super Cup final, Inter Milan vs. Napoli. The Nerazzurri won 1-0 to lift the Italian Super Cup for the third year in a row thanks to captain Lautaro's stoppage-time winner.
It was a difficult game, especially after Napoli was sent off, and the iron bucket was put on the line, which made Inter lose space and it was difficult to threaten the attack.
【Starting lineup】
There was only one change to the starting line-up from the semi-finals, with De Vrij replacing the muscle-tired Bastoni.
After the game, Inzaghi and the players mentioned the difficulties of the schedule and fitness on a number of occasions, and it seems that playing games after only three days does have a big impact on fitness. Some people say that there are seven days a week, and the midweek game is either the first three and the last four, or the first four and the last three, and the two-game stage of the week is played like this, why is it so bitter to play every three days this time?
Because there are usually two matches a week, the first round of the league will be advanced, and the next round of the league will be postponed, ensuring that the interval between the two games is 8-9 days, and the interval between the middle game and the front and back is at least four days. Of course, if you can't do it when you play two games in a week, you will definitely encounter a situation where there are only three days apart, so you have to rotate, and it will be difficult for the same group to continue playing every three days.
There is not much difference between taking six days off and taking seven days off, but there is a big difference between taking three days off and taking four days off. Napoli had an extra day of rest and Inter did not rotate, so it was inevitable that they would be at a disadvantage in terms of fitness.
(Starters & Ratings)
Although Naples had an extra day off, the personnel was not in order. The absolute main Osimhen and Anguissa participated in the Africa Cup of Nations, goalkeeper Meire and defender Natan were injured, and Zielinski has been sitting on the bench for some unknown reason, which is missing half of the main lineup.
Napoli have not performed well since Mazzari took over, and they have slipped all the way down the rankings. However, the good news is that it took Mazzarri two months to finally develop the back three tactics, Napoli have been playing in a back four for many years, and the last time he played a back three was during Mazzalhi's last manager, more than a decade. Therefore, Mazzarri did not immediately switch to a back three after taking office, but continued to use a back four in the game, and worked the back three in training, and finally used the back three tactics to defeat Fiorentina 3-0 for the first time in the semi-finals of the Super Cup, achieving the biggest victory since taking office.
[Different Opening Tactics]
Recent Inter Milan games have used pre-opening pressing tactics to suppress opponents, but this game did not mean this at all, and played cautiously after the start.
(Inter retreats to half-time)
When Napoli organized the attack at the back, the Inter players did not linger in the front, but all retreated to the halfway line before starting to organize the defense.
(Sommer Kicks)
Even when the opponent tries to press forward, he no longer makes a short pass in the backfield, but directly opens his foot. Looking at the strength of Napoli's forward pressing and the number of Inter in the backfield this time, it is enough to play the backfield pass, but Sommer made the choice of a long pass, which was obviously arranged by Inzaghi before the game.
All this shows that the coach's opening tactic in this game is "our side is disadvantaged, avoid the battle first." ”
Combined with the fact that Inzaghi Jr. mentioned the lack of physical strength several times in his speech after the game, it is obvious that Inzaghi Jr. has specially designed tactics according to the physical condition and physical fitness of the players - obscene development. Speaking of which, I can't help but think of some coaches back then, who forcibly arranged Medel to play as a front midfielder, and even let Valero play a front midfielder for a while, and it was a forward insertion type of forward midfield, one short and short, the other soft and slow, inserted into the penalty area, not to mention that he couldn't touch the ball, and he couldn't see it. As for why this is arranged, it's not because the characteristics of the player are suitable, I don't care if he is suitable or not, it's just because I have a forward midfielder in my formation and someone needs to fill it.
Reminisce about the past, look at the present, and cherish the good times now!
In the first half, Inzaghi Jr. determined the strategy of defending the counterattack steadily, and did not press too much, but the effect was very good, and the number of shots on goal was 7-2.
Because Inter's counter-attacking methods are very diverse.
1. Break the ball and counterattack
(Half-time break on the counter-attack, Dimarco crosses)
In this attack, Lautaro was again in the midfield position.
Recently, someone said to me, obviously it is a normal striker to pick up, why do you have to say that he is playing in the forward position, and the title party writes that he is playing in the No. 10 position, pretending to be profound, deliberately pretending to be a wave suit, isn't it?
Let's put it this way, for two reasons.
How do you tell the difference between playing in the number 10 position or center-forwarding?
One is to look at the running position.
Also receiving the ball in the forward position, the center has to return to his center position to do the work of the center after completing the return, that is, carrying or attracting the center back at the forefront, responsible for cutting forward without the ball and disrupting the opponent's formation. After receiving and passing the ball in the front position, the front waist continues to stay in the back row, that is, the front waist position, waiting to respond, and take the initiative to find teammates to ask for the ball organization.
I've also analysed Lautaro's recent running style with GIFs, and most of the time I've been deliberately using the way I run in the front midfield. You can compare the way Lautaro ran after completing the return to see a clear difference.
The second is to look at the frequency.
That is, the time and number of touches in a certain area, when a player moves more time and touches in the midfield position than in the center position, you can't close his eyes and say that he is playing as a center forward.
For example, Sanchez, who is obviously a striker, but he basically does not enter the penalty area now, and has been organizing with the ball in the midfield for a long time, so Inter Milan and the striker changed to 433 in the second half, but it should be said that it became 4312 in a more standard way. Another example is Lautaro's game, although he also responds in the front midfield position, and even uses the front midfield running method after responding, but the total number of times is not much, and more often he is still on the front line, so this game cannot be counted as him playing in the No. 10 position.
As for why it is called the No. 10 position, the No. 10 position in the traditional sense refers to the forward midfield. However, Lautaro does not play as a pure midfielder, but sometimes also plays up the front line, and this style of play as a midfielder and a central striker should traditionally be called a number nine and a half. However, since the classical No. 10 pure forward has disappeared, this shadow forward style with a forward function has become the new No. 10 position to distinguish it from the No. 9 position of pure center forward.
Well, let's talk about the counterattack of Inter Milan.
(Midfielder breaks the ball and counterattacks, Lautaro fulcrum makes the ball, Mkhitaryan)
(Broken ball in midfield, Barella straight to Thuram)
Through the above counterattacks, it can be seen that Inter's counterattack after breaking the ball is very fast, everyone quickly plays the ball, and a few simple kicks into the opponent's core area.
Second, the shingling counterattack
At the beginning, he was more cautious and did not dare to play in the backcourt, but after 15 minutes, he gradually controlled the situation, not only in the backcourt, but also in the frontcourt, which could even press and rob the opponent in stages.
(Inter Milan's short pass at the back to cooperate with the advancement)
The most crucial thing in this push was the player who received the ball twice with his back. The first time was Mkhitaryan, who caught Sommer's long-distance pass with his back, and after receiving the ball with his back, he couldn't force him to turn around like Lukaku? What if Dimarco doesn't get one-on-one after receiving the ball? Lautaro was stuck to death after receiving the ball and couldn't turn around, but it didn't matter, Mkhitaryan had already come to his side to pick it up.
This kind of running is called "overlap" in English, which translates to shingling running. Inter's way of using regional small fulcrums to continuously cooperate and advance is not necessarily exactly the same as the English definition of "overlap", but for the translated "stacking", it is obvious that Inter's cooperation is more vivid, layer after layer, layer by layer.
(Tile again)
Again, it started with Sommer's long-distance ground shots, with Lautaro as the first fulcrum and Thuram as the second fulcrum. One of the advantages of this way of cooperation is that there is no need to carry people in hand-to-hand combat, but only need to run in advance to shake off the opposing player, kick out immediately after receiving the ball, and then turn around and insert forward to become the receiver of the next layer.
However, this kind of coordination has very detailed requirements for running and passing, and a slight deviation will lead to mistakes, such as Thuram's fulcrum pass to Calhan's kick, which was slightly deviated under the interference of the opponent, and failed to play, although the ball was finally spelled down, but the counterattack speed was gone.
Third, after insertion
(Overhead ball for Thuram)
Looking at this goal, it is not very familiar, yes, it is the same as the offside goal later, this routine was tried in the opening stage.
(Thuram assists Lautaro, offside)
The clip before the goal I volleyed was a bit long, so you don't have to look at the back and stare at the movement of the two strikers, why did right striker Thuram plug in on the left flank?
Inter Milan backfield is down, Napoli wants to press up to grab, three forwards against Inter three defenders, fullbacks to wingbacks, but there are only two in the midfield, how to keep an eye on Inter's three midfielders?
The right centre-back and right wing-back both pressed up and Lautaro immediately moved sideways to their defensive zone, leaving centre-back Rahmani to follow. Without counting the lateral movement, Lautaro went straight back to the back to receive the ball, completely taking Rahmani out of position, leaving Napoli with only left centre-back Juan Junior and left wing-back.
The lateral movement continued, Thuram came to the wing, Juan Jr. followed, but did not dare to follow completely, because he was a left central defender, and now he has followed the right side, and he still has to take care of the middle. So Thuram was unmarked, but unfortunately the start was a little anxious and offside.
This tactic is actually similar to the stacked run, through the run, the opposing defender is stripped off layer by layer, and then his own player runs to this gap to cut forward.
Do you think this tactic is better to call it "demolition" or "peeling"?
Speaking of running off the ball to take away defenders, there's also a classic offense.
(Thuram singles over goalkeeper)
Isn't it strange when watching the live broadcast, why is the backfield so upside down, and suddenly Mkhitaryan is facing the defenders directly?
Take a closer look at the process of inverting your feet to appreciate the subtlety.
In the beginning, right winger Politano stared at Calhan, right midfielder Lobotka stared at Mkhitaryan, and left midfielder Kayust stayed at the back as Pavard went up. Lautaro dropped back sharply and moved sideways, bringing left centre-back Juan Jr. to the right, Politano was taken away by Calhan, Acerbi with no one to keep an eye on the ball, Lobotka could only go forward, vacating Mkhitaryan, and right centre-back Di Lorenzo was forced to go up.
Returning the goalkeeper, Calhan walked sideways to the middle, taking the right winger Politano out of position, Acerbi held the ball again, or could only go to the top of the right back Lobotka, as soon as he topped, Mkhitaryan was empty, this time the right central defender Di Lorenzo did not come out, so Mkhitaryan was empty.
Inter deliberately let Acerbi hold the ball for a long time many times in the process of reversing his feet, just to attract Lobotka out and empty Mkhitaryan. Napoli has one less person in the midfield, and Di Lorenzo needs to go up when he is on top, and as soon as he goes up, the striker runs sideways behind him, and if he doesn't go up, Mkhitaryan will not be watched.
It can be said that Inter Milan accurately found the loopholes in Napoli's formation and used them accurately, but unfortunately failed to score goals.
【Iron Bucket Formation and Changing Formation Competition】
In the first 15 minutes of the second half, Inter's tactics were still steady, and they did not press heavily to besiege the opponent, and it seemed that Inzaghi Jr. was ready to play a war of attrition.
But in the 60th minute, Simeone Jr.'s red card changed everything, and Napoli, who had one less player, began to retreat deeply and put the bus.
(Napoli changed formation 540, gave up the attack, retreated 40 meters)
In fact, if there are many people in Napoli, Inter's attack is better to play. After the numerical advantage, although the pressure on the defensive end is gone, the difficulty of the offense is doubled.
After the red card, Napoli immediately replaced wingback Zelbin with central defender Estigao, who was a guest right centre-back before Di Lorenzo and now returns to the wing, with all three centre-backs becoming full-backs, and the right wing-backs were originally played as wingers and now as full-backs. The two wings retreated deeply, 342 became 540, or 531, and occasionally a striker on top harassed the Inter defender to get the ball.
Inter also made two substitutions, both of which were counter-substitutions, but with Augusto playing left centre-back, it was obvious to strengthen the attack, and of course Frattesi stepped forward.
Inter's attack at this stage relied entirely on crosses, especially on Dimarco on the left.
(Dimarco crosses, Pavard comes back, Thuram shoots wide)
(Dimarco crosses, Lautaro shoots high from the back post)
(Corner, Pavard header, Thuram missed)
Breaking down dense defences, in addition to crosses, long-range shots are also a good method, and Inter have also tried it.
(Calhan shoots from distance)
Napoli's 540 formation, the midfield 4 is not lined up, but a diamond-shaped position, Cayust back, Lobotka forward, two wingers to recycle the wingbacks.
The two wingers were on the side, and the middle two were standing in front and back, covering a wide area, Frattesi stepped forward to press Causte into the box, and after Inter pulled laterally a few times, they took Lobotka away and created a chance to shoot from a distance in the middle.
After this long-range shot, Mazzarri immediately made a substitution, two wingers were replaced at the same time, a midfielder and a winger, three serious midfielders, to ensure the width of the defense in the middle, and winger Lindström went directly to the full-back position, and the formation became 630.
(Napoli 630 formation)
Such a defensive formation not only ensures the width, but also piles up enough people in the penalty area, and the tactical effect of crosses is reduced.
But this stubborn defense was too passive, and the pressure on the defenders was too great, so soon Mazzarri made another substitution, the left wing-back was replaced, and Raspadori was replaced by a midfielder, and Lindström also returned to the midfield, and the formation changed back to 531.
(Napoli counter-attack shot)
Mazzal's substitutions soon paid off, and Napoli, who had been pressed for 20 minutes, finally made an attack, with the key players being substitute strikers Lindström and Raspadori.
There was not much time left, and after 81 minutes, Inzaghi had to change his style of play. Replaced the second old striker, minus a defender, and changed the formation to 433, of course, due to Sanchez's playing habits, it is more appropriate to call 4312.
For the rest of the time, the attack will be dominated by Sanchez.
（桑切斯肋部直塞，阿瑙射门被扑）
It can be seen that Sanchez got rid of the winger Lindström, who is not good at defending the opponent, and completed the straight plug from the gap between the three midfielders, if Mazzari does not leave a striker in front, and puts four players in the midfield, closer to each other, it will not be so easy to penetrate.
(Sanchez runs through the middle, Lautaro's shot is saved)
It can be seen that there is a problem with the defense in the middle again, Raspadori does not participate in the defense, and the single back Lobotka goes out to save Mkhitaryan, who holds the ball, and the formation is immediately disjointed, the distance between the midfielder and the defender is too far, and Inter gets into it with two people at the top of the arc.
(Pavard's cross, Lautaro's stunner)
Raspadori was not involved in the defense, and the three midfielders lone Lobotka save, and then Lindström on the left also saved, again causing the two lines to be too far apart, Sanchez received the ball in the middle, and the left wingback Rui pushed out, but did not dare to save.
At this time, it was 4 against 4 in the penalty area, with Raspadori defending Mkhitaryan at the back point (eye defense), and Gaetano at the top of the arc staring at Frattesi (watching the ball but not looking at people). Pavard on the side stepped forward, and Lindström, who was on the opposite side, was a winger and had no sense of follow-up.
How was Lautaro in the middle of the penalty area emptied? Gaetano at the top of the arc looked at the ball and didn't look at people, and lost Frattesi, who stepped in and took away the central defender Rahmani, who was originally staring at Arnau, and the right central defender Oustigaard, who was originally staring at Lautaro, could only go to defend Arnau in front of the goal (typical center forward run), so he let Lautaro empty.
In general, Napoli did not hold in the final stage, which was related to Mazzalhi's substitution, Mazzarri replaced two forwards to release defensive pressure, but he attacked the half twice in half an hour, which did not achieve the tactical goal, but reduced the number of defenders, especially the midfielder three had to take care of the wings, and the coverage was not so wide, and Sanchez repeatedly took the ball at the top of the arc and in the ribs to create a threat.
And the striker plays a cameo defense, and even if he is in position, he often can't keep up with people. But looking at the bench, Napoli has no defenders available, there is only an 18-year-old reserve team kid left on the bench, and there are two left in the midfield, one is Zielinski, and the other is Dem, who has not played much in the past two years.
Inzaghi's substitutions worked wonders, decisively abandoning the cross tactics and using the striker duo, Sanchez accurately grasped the loopholes in the opponent's formation and continued to create threats. It's just that I don't know if Inzaghi saw this point and carried out a precise strike, or if he had no choice but to go to Sanchez, and the blind cat met the dead mouse.
After conceding the goal, Napoli no longer cares about the formation, leaving three people behind to kick the big foot, and the others all press up, which can be called the 306 formation. Inter, on the other hand, replaced Lautaro with Bisek and changed back to 352, of course, 532 when defending.
In this game, Mazzarri used a total of 5 formations, from 343 at the beginning, to 540 for one person, 630 for the striker, 531 for the striker, and 306 at the last moment.
And Inzaghi also used 4 formations, starting with 352, the first substitution of the left wingback was 253, and the second substitution was 4312, but the fullback was used as a winger, and Frattesi did not stay in the midfield, in fact, it was 2215, and after the lead, it became 532.
In a game, the two sides shared nine formations, which is a rare occurrence, and if it was a formation change competition, Mazzari would have won. But Mazzari changed back and forth, his formation was leaky, and Sanchez hit it with precision.
[Two details]
Finally, let's talk about two details.
(Damian is tired to press his legs, Pavard presses the attack)
By 78 minutes, Damian was so tired that he was squatting down and pressing his legs, and he was really exhausted. Pavard, who had more stamina, pressed on the occasion and switched positions, and then played for Darmian as wing-back for a long time, allowing Darmian to stay behind to catch his breath.
Although Darmian was in front of him when the final goal was scored, he basically couldn't run, and it was Pavard's sudden forward cross that created a killing chance.
I mention this detail mainly to say two points:
First, the three veterans of Darmian, Acerbi, and Mkhitaryan have not been able to rest, and the young people are all in rotation, only these two have been playing, and the donkeys of the production team are reluctant to use them like this.
The second is that players with multiple positional attributes are really fragrant.
(De Vrij defends Kvaratskhelia alone)
Not for Quad Frei, just to talk about KK.
KK scored 14 goals and 17 assists in 3,238 minutes in 43 games last season, averaging one goal in 104 minutes.
This season, 28 games and 2,160 minutes, 5 goals and 5 assists, an average of 216 minutes to make a goal, the efficiency is directly halved.
When KK was the most popular last year, I said that he was not worth 80 million, and whoever bought it at this price would lose.
Carefully analyze the technical characteristics of KK, you will find that his foot technique is not fine enough, the absolute speed is not fast enough, flexibility, balance, cadence, etc. are not top-notch, just because his style of play is very unique, the physical confrontation ability is good, slamming and slamming, it seems to be reckless but will suddenly buckle, and the defender is not used to his style of play, so he suffers more.
In the second year wall, the defender is familiar with his style of play, and he does not have the strength to absolutely crush him, so he is naturally deflated.
Of course, it doesn't mean that KK is useless, although the ability values of dribbling breakthroughs are not top-notch, but they are still passable, and it is still okay to single out ordinary defenders, and this season's data is the embodiment of his true ability. Serie A teams can't afford to spend, and Premier League teams can still use it for forty or fifty million dollars, but now the German transfer price is more than 80 million, which can only be used by Napoli itself, unless it encounters the injustice of the Premier League.
【Conclusion】
(Statistics)
It was a tough game, and even if there was no red card, it would have to be played until the end of the game to determine the winner. The German said that he wanted to give Mazzari time, and it was true, although Napoli lacked half of the main force in this game, it was much more difficult to deal with than when Mazzari first took over last month. When the whole team adapts to Mazzalhi's three-back system, and when the main players return, with the strength of Napoli, there is still a lot of hope for a Champions League qualification.
Inter Milan won their first title in 2024, which boosted confidence and morale, and they hope to be able to build on their efforts when they return to the league.
Winning the league is the minimum goal, and there are still surprises in the Champions League, and that is the extra reward. Several giants are not in the best condition this season, of course, dreams must be had, as the runners-up of the Champions League last season, I still dare to think about it.