Ok, I couldn’t write this with a clear mind right after what happened in the final yesterday. The game was one where it really makes me question why I am a sports fan; an event that I took no part in, that has no bearing on my current or future well-being affected me to the point where I had to sit in my bed moping for a couple hours afterwards. That aside, even though my team did not win I still thought it was a very entertaining final. Bayern had all the possession and field position, but were unable to break down Inter’s last line of defense, while Inter Milan’s counter attack ended up being rare but extremely opportunistic. In the end, one of my predictions ended up being blatantly wrong: Munich desperately missed Franck Ribery. Lack of Ribery allowed Inter to focus on Arjen Robben, who I still thought had a good game, but didn’t have the usual freedom he does when the defense also has to worry about the scarred Frenchman on the left. Bayern spent much of the time in Inter’s territory, but only were able to get behind Inter’s defense once (when Mueller missed that golden chance in the first minute of the second half). This resulted in long range efforts mostly, and other than a beautiful Robben chip where Julio Cesar had to make a fantastic acrobatic save, they were mostly not on target.
The difference in quality at the center back position also was huge. Bayern was never going to beat Inter’s counter attacking game plan with Daniel Van Buyten and Martic Demichellis at the heart of defense. Diego Milito, Goran Pandev and Samuel Eto’o always looked threatening because of the lack of speed and athleticism of the two center backs for Bayern. At the other end there was Walter Samuel and Lucio (who Bayern got rid of this past summer), who Bayern probably couldn’t have consistently gotten behind if the two teams played ten times. Those two have done this all season, especially against Barcelona, making Inter more than worthy champions. The only way to combat a defense like that is to have an effective, big, strong striker who could physically bully those two around (ex: Edin Dzeko, who Bayern are heavily linked with at the moment). While Thomas Mueller has a bright future ahead of him, in order for him to be taken to the next level I believe he needs that strong striker, something Ivica Olic isn’t. Not taking anything away from Olic, who has exceeded all expectations, but he was extremely ineffective yesterday, simply not being big, quick or good enough to deal with the elite defending of Inter’s center backs, despite putting in his usual incredible and admirable amount of effort. Olic definitely has a role for next year, but it may be the role of super sub or the third striker, behind Thomas Mueller and (hopefully) Edin Dzeko.
Up front, Diego Milito truly epitomized Inter’s whole style of play; barely having the ball but being extremely opportunistic. Milito had two shots on target, both of which ended up in the back of the net. His winning of the header on Julio Cesar’s long goal kick against Demichellis was crucial. His finish was also a class act, pausing an extra second to throw off a charging Hans Jorg Butt before coolly chipping it passed him. The second was also great, taking advantage of the space as a result of a too offensive run by Philipp Lahm at right fullback, to run at Daniel Van Buyten, who Milito simply made looked foolish as he side stepped him and beat Butt with a great far post shot. That was it; those were the two times Milito shot the ball. But could Jose Mourinho as more of his center forward? He also did a great job of holding the ball up, waiting for the rest of Inter’s attack to move forward. Milito put in a class act performance on the biggest stage of his career. The unfortunate thing is that I don’t see a way Milito gets playing time with Argentina at the World Cup, being behind other forwards like the electric Lionel Messi, the bullish Carlos Tevez and the deadly Gonzalo Higuain on Diego Maradona’s depth chart. He will probably end up being on the bench for much of his time in South Africa, but if Maradona is in anyway a competent coach (which I’m not sure he is), he will find a role for the fantastic Milito, who showed yesterday why he should be an integral part of any team’s strategy. He, along with Walter Samuel and Lucio, were Inter’s MVPs yesterday.
Yesterday’s result also legitimized Jose Mourinho’s claim to be the best coach in the world. Mourinho basically out managed Bayern’s Louis Van Gaal, his mentor while the two were at Barcelona. Van Gaal’s attacking style played right into Mourinho’s hands, who has never claimed to play attractive football, but wins. When Milito scored his second goal, you knew Bayern were dead and buried; Mourinho sides never yield results when the score is 2-0. Mourinho now joins the company of Ernst Happel and Ottmar Hitzfeld as managers to win two Champions League titles with two different teams. It is an elite status that Mourinho deserves, who steals headlines for his amusing bravado as much as he does for his teams’ success on the pitch. After the win, Mourinho proclaimed his work at inter was done and it appears he will be going to Real Madrid. Despite all of the hilarious headlines Mourinho have provided since he first came to prominence with Porto, we may be entering the time period soccer historians will look back on as the most significant during his career. If one were looking at a map of where soccer talent resides in Europe, one would see that most are in two rival cities: Madrid and Barcelona. The Real Madrid vs. Barcelona rivalry will take on a whole new dimension when Mourinho joins it, especially with the star power of both teams. It will be Madrid’s money versus Barcelona’s system, the brash Mourinho versus the calm and collected Pep Guardiola. The rivalry is sure to be truly amazing over the next few years, with Mourinho being at the center of it the whole way.
The difference in quality at the center back position also was huge. Bayern was never going to beat Inter’s counter attacking game plan with Daniel Van Buyten and Martic Demichellis at the heart of defense. Diego Milito, Goran Pandev and Samuel Eto’o always looked threatening because of the lack of speed and athleticism of the two center backs for Bayern. At the other end there was Walter Samuel and Lucio (who Bayern got rid of this past summer), who Bayern probably couldn’t have consistently gotten behind if the two teams played ten times. Those two have done this all season, especially against Barcelona, making Inter more than worthy champions. The only way to combat a defense like that is to have an effective, big, strong striker who could physically bully those two around (ex: Edin Dzeko, who Bayern are heavily linked with at the moment). While Thomas Mueller has a bright future ahead of him, in order for him to be taken to the next level I believe he needs that strong striker, something Ivica Olic isn’t. Not taking anything away from Olic, who has exceeded all expectations, but he was extremely ineffective yesterday, simply not being big, quick or good enough to deal with the elite defending of Inter’s center backs, despite putting in his usual incredible and admirable amount of effort. Olic definitely has a role for next year, but it may be the role of super sub or the third striker, behind Thomas Mueller and (hopefully) Edin Dzeko.
Up front, Diego Milito truly epitomized Inter’s whole style of play; barely having the ball but being extremely opportunistic. Milito had two shots on target, both of which ended up in the back of the net. His winning of the header on Julio Cesar’s long goal kick against Demichellis was crucial. His finish was also a class act, pausing an extra second to throw off a charging Hans Jorg Butt before coolly chipping it passed him. The second was also great, taking advantage of the space as a result of a too offensive run by Philipp Lahm at right fullback, to run at Daniel Van Buyten, who Milito simply made looked foolish as he side stepped him and beat Butt with a great far post shot. That was it; those were the two times Milito shot the ball. But could Jose Mourinho as more of his center forward? He also did a great job of holding the ball up, waiting for the rest of Inter’s attack to move forward. Milito put in a class act performance on the biggest stage of his career. The unfortunate thing is that I don’t see a way Milito gets playing time with Argentina at the World Cup, being behind other forwards like the electric Lionel Messi, the bullish Carlos Tevez and the deadly Gonzalo Higuain on Diego Maradona’s depth chart. He will probably end up being on the bench for much of his time in South Africa, but if Maradona is in anyway a competent coach (which I’m not sure he is), he will find a role for the fantastic Milito, who showed yesterday why he should be an integral part of any team’s strategy. He, along with Walter Samuel and Lucio, were Inter’s MVPs yesterday.
Yesterday’s result also legitimized Jose Mourinho’s claim to be the best coach in the world. Mourinho basically out managed Bayern’s Louis Van Gaal, his mentor while the two were at Barcelona. Van Gaal’s attacking style played right into Mourinho’s hands, who has never claimed to play attractive football, but wins. When Milito scored his second goal, you knew Bayern were dead and buried; Mourinho sides never yield results when the score is 2-0. Mourinho now joins the company of Ernst Happel and Ottmar Hitzfeld as managers to win two Champions League titles with two different teams. It is an elite status that Mourinho deserves, who steals headlines for his amusing bravado as much as he does for his teams’ success on the pitch. After the win, Mourinho proclaimed his work at inter was done and it appears he will be going to Real Madrid. Despite all of the hilarious headlines Mourinho have provided since he first came to prominence with Porto, we may be entering the time period soccer historians will look back on as the most significant during his career. If one were looking at a map of where soccer talent resides in Europe, one would see that most are in two rival cities: Madrid and Barcelona. The Real Madrid vs. Barcelona rivalry will take on a whole new dimension when Mourinho joins it, especially with the star power of both teams. It will be Madrid’s money versus Barcelona’s system, the brash Mourinho versus the calm and collected Pep Guardiola. The rivalry is sure to be truly amazing over the next few years, with Mourinho being at the center of it the whole way.
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