Champions League preview: Inter Milan v Barcelona
In the eyes of many, this would have been the dream final. Two European giants managed by two of the most tactically-aware coaches in world football, complete with a wealth of world-class talent at their disposal.
Very few Champions League fixtures can match the glamour of Inter Milan v Barcelona, and this semi-final certainly has the potential, at least, to rank alongside the all-time European classics.
There had been fears that this evening’s first leg would struggle to go ahead after the recent air-travel chaos, but Barça weren’t about to let a cloud of volcanic ash stand in their way from reaching Milan.
A gruelling 450-mile coach journey to the San Siro may not have been ideal preparation for Pep Guardiola’s men, but they arrived safely in the Italian capital on Monday evening; and will be determined to inflict a similar result as when the two teams last met in November.
That night, in the safe surroundings of the Nou Camp, Barça passed and moved their way around the lacklustre Inter Milan side with consummate ease. Xavi – as he so often does – was busy orchestrating the tempo of the match from the middle of the park, and even without Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the world’s best player, Lionel Messi, the reigning European champions still cruised to a 2-0 victory over José Mourinho’s outplayed team.
After the match, the Special One showed a rare glimpse of humility and confessed that Barcelona were a better team than his. However, he added: "But being beaten by them doesn't mean we can't beat them in the later stages. If I had to play them again tomorrow, I would already be ready. If you told me that Inter will face Barça in the semi-final, I will accept that now."
As they say, be careful what you wish for, José.
The former Chelsea manager may have avoided facing Messi back in November, but he won’t be nearly as fortuitous this time around. The question of how to stop the Argentinian forward is one which many coaches have pondered and ultimately failed to come up with an answer for this season.
If anyone can find a way to limit the 22-year-old’s magic, though, it’s the master-tactician himself. The duo certainly have history when it comes to this competition. Messi has never scored against a team managed by Mourinho, and was criticised for his alleged “theatrics” by the then Chelsea boss, after being involved in the challenge which saw full-back Asier del Horno sent off at Stamford Bridge, back in 2005.
With 40 goals to his name this season from just 45 matches, it’s been a campaign which will live long in the memory of Barcelona’s spoiled fans. Messi will come into tonight’s match off the back of a remarkable four-goal haul against Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals and it could be down to his compatriot, Javier Zanetti, to prevent the Barça No. 10 from shining. An unenviable task if ever there was one.
Guardiola, in only his second season as a manager, could become the first coach in history to retain the European Cup should he guide his men past Inter Milan and into the final. But his equally stylish Inter counterpart, who’ll be standing shoulder-to-shoulder alongside him on the touchline this evening, will be just as desperate to win the Champions League trophy with the Nerazzurri.
That, it seems, is the only way for the Portuguese coach to etch his name into Inter folklore.
It’s the one trophy which has eluded the Italians for so long. The league title may be their bread and butter, but the club's supporters – and most certainly the board - now have a strong craving for the desert. It’s 45 years since the most prestigious prize in club football made its way into the Internazionale trophy cabinet, and the reason why Mourinho was signed in the first place.
Winning the European Cup with two different clubs is a feat only two managers in the history of the sport have achieved. Mourinho now has a tremendous chance of seeing his name cemented alongside Ottmar Hitzfeld and Ernst Happel this year, and knows that stifling the threat of Messi, Xavi and co will be the only way to ensure his side head back to Barcelona in a week’s time with a genuine chance of making it into next month’s showpiece final at the Bernabeu.
Tonight’s match may be billed as the Special One v the world’s most special player; but it’s far more than that. This is a battle between two giants of the game, fighting it out to make history with their respective clubs; and this evening’s clash at the San Siro will undoubtedly have a key bearing on who advances to the final – such is the strength of Barça at their Nou Camp fortress.
Winning the competition will mean more to Inter and Mourinho, but Barça and Guardiola have made a habit of re-writing history over the past 12 months. They won’t be prepared to stop now, even if Mourinho is keen to flee Italian football with his reputation in higher regard than it’s ever been before.
Prediction: Inter Milan 1 Barcelona 1
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