Under the guidance of Simone Inzaghi, Inter Milan has showcased a remarkable level of tactical flexibility and efficiency in possession, propelling them to the Serie A title this season. Their approach is a masterclass in adaptability, seamlessly adjusting their strategies to exploit the opponent’s weaknesses and exploit any advantageous situations.
One of the standout aspects of Inter’s tactics is their utilization of the left flank’s superiority through various combinations and movements. When faced with a closing defender, Inter adjusts their strategy by having Pavard move to center back and Barella drop next to him, allowing them to progress with the ball smoothly. The third man play between Barella, Lautaro Martinez, and Mkhitaryan is also a key factor in entering the opponent’s box, capitalizing on their brilliant positional rotations and decision-making.
The team is not limited to certain automatism buildup patterns but rather can apply the intelligence of players in finding various solutions during the game and be flexible of the field. One such example shows us how Inter effectively uses the wide zones to entice pressure from opposition and overload that zone. Rather than switching, they try to progress and bypass the pressure through the same zone and look to create scoring opportunities.
But what is so special about Inter’s buildup play?
Motion Offence
Inter’s structure is highly flexible, with the team adjusting their formation based on the opponent’s press and positioning. This adaptability is crucial in breaking the opponent’s pressure and finding the free man, with center midfielders and wingbacks being the primary targets to exploit the available space. The team’s technical ability and excellent decision-making are highlighted as key factors in their success.
Inter’s verticality in possession heavily depends on the opponent’s strategy and quality during pressing, and they adapt their tactics accordingly to exploit any advantageous situations. This is where their implementation of the “motion offence” concept from basketball comes into play.
Motion Offence is an attacking scheme based on player movements, with lots of passing, cutting, screening, and back screens. When you watch Inter, you can see the application of motion offence in football. Movement is key in Inter’s possession play from build-up to progression to chance creation, and they move so smoothly and naturally at any part of the pitch, ensuring that space is always occupied logical.
This approach gives Inter the speed to populate areas faster than the opponent and create a free man quicker than more rigid positional approaches. It is quite similar to the early Dutch side under Rinus Michels, who pioneered ‘total football’ with rotation freely all over the pitch, spearheaded by the genius of Johan Cruyff.
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