The tactical brilliance of Inter Milan
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Football, throughout its history, has been a sport of various philosophies.
Early on, it retained that child-like quality of just playing the sport carefree, resulting in some tennis-like scorelines. These days, it's more a game of fine margins. That's what happens when a sport evolves to a high level.
While tactics were always part of the game, they haven't been as prominently featured in the past as in modern football. Now, football is almost all about tactics, and no league exemplifies that as strongly as the Italian Serie A.
No team embodies tactical perfection this year better than Inter Milan, who have been tactically sound for quite some time now. Those that followed the team won't be surprised by any of that because the tactical foundations were laid by Antonio Conte. He had a clear vision for the squad; the squad was built for that way of playing, and it has remained consistent even after he left.
When Simone Inzaghi took over the managerial role from Conte, he didn’t significantly alter the playing style. The most recent match against Atalanta demonstrated this well. The wing-back play was very Conte-esque, especially in the way they surged forward and attacked.
The crucial part of such a tactic is, of course, playing with three center-backs—another hallmark of Conte. Having three defenders spread out to cover the back line allows those forward runs to happen. Another aspect of Inter's tactics is playing through the middle, or rather, maintaining compactness with three central defenders, three midfielders, and two forwards who primarily operate centrally.
This setup forces the opponent's defence to contract in the middle, creating space on the flanks for the wing-backs to advance up and down the field. All of this is, again, very Conte-esque.
However, Inzaghi has refined the system by incorporating additional elements, transforming Inter into a tactical juggernaut capable of adapting to different situations.
For example, Nicolò Barella often drops back almost to the center-back line, granting Dumfries even more freedom to operate further forward. Due to Barella’s profile as a versatile player who is also a threat in attack, he was closely marked by a defender who followed him as he moved back, thereby opening up even more space on the flanks. This was what Inter exploited throughout the match with clinical precision—a tactical masterpiece by Inzaghi.
This is just one example of the refinement that Inzaghi implemented. It's not a massive change, not enough for the players who know the system to get confused, but enough to transform a very good squad into an elite squad.
They have been executing this approach for a long time, so long that it has become underappreciated
. Due to Serie A’s reputation, tactically brilliant teams like Inter often receive less recognition. However, the fact remains that Inter sticks to its mechanisms, with Inzaghi occasionally making tactical adjustments based on specific threats posed by opponents, yet keeping the framework clear—and it works.
It’s been effective for quite a while now, and though it may not be as eye-catching as the style of Atalanta or, say, Tottenham, it is undeniably effective.
Inter epitomise what this tactical, analytics-driven era of football is all about.
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