Kolkata: Create cul de sacs, batten down the hatches by getting players behind the ball. Goodbye catenaccio? Hello, catenaccio. “The result is all that matters,” said Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi after beating Arsenal 1-0 through Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s penalty, a call which was right but felt wrong.
It was from a rare break, after Arsenal’s seventh corner-kick, that Inter won a free kick. The shot hit Mikel Merino’s foot, then his arm. In the Champions League, an arm or hand positioned in an unnatural way which can make a player bigger may lead to a penalty. And so it was, after a VAR check, though there was nothing Merino could have done to avoid contact. What made the night worse for Merino was that he could have won a penalty earlier for taking a punch from Yann Sommer but VAR had ruled in favour of the Inter goalie.
On successive nights, the top two finishers in the Premier League for the past two seasons have lost. Arsenal hogged possession, won more corner-kicks, had more attempts (21-7) but like Manchester City, they couldn’t score against Inter. No team has in the Champions League this term. And yet Inter have shipped 13 goals in 11 Serie A matches.
Inzaghi started with five regulars including Marcus Thurram on the bench because the defending Serie A champions host leaders Napoli at the weekend. Yet, it never looked like Inter lacked experience or ability to contain Arsenal. They locked the door, threw away the key and said no is getting through, was former Inter midfielder Clarence Seedorf analysis on Amazon Prime. And that was not the only surprise.
No mountain is high enough for Liverpool, Barcelona are scoring for fun but in the 36-team table at the halfway stage AC Milan, six-time champions, are 20th and Real Madrid, who have won this a record-extending 15 times, are 18th one slot below Bayern Munich who have conquered Europe six times. Reigning champions City, twice winners Juventus and Arsenal are 10, 11th and 12th and Paris St-Germain are 25th meaning they are currently out of the race for a last-16 spot.
The first eight qualify directly and the next 16 play an extra round to complete the pre-quarter finals line-up. Which means given their strength in depth, the top clubs are expected to absorb the odd reversal or two. Arsenal can lose, Sporting CP can stun City, Lille hold Juventus, Milan leave Real Madrid worried but it should all work out in the end.
So, hanging on in quiet desperation is not the Arsenal way. Yet. But more travel blues – Arsenal head to Chelsea on Sunday with one win on the road in their last five matches and none in Champions League away games since February– and it could be a problem for Mikel Arteta and the club which also has to deal with sporting director Edu’s decision to depart. To Edu goes a large chunk of credit for signing Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz. And it is to the former Gunner that credit goes for offering new deals to Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Ethan Nwaneri. Since 2019, he has helped Arsenal built a side that can challenge City.
Edu was one of the scorers in Milan when Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ visited Inter and won 5-1; Thierry Henry running the show. In this side so rich in talent, Odegaard and Saka can do but only when they are together. Odegaard, Ben White and Saka have created opportunities over the past season and more that don’t happen when Havertz drops into midfield or Merino starts there. Good news for Arsenal is that for the first time since August, Odegaard got some time on the pitch.
Without the Norwegian, Arsenal look to Saka for inspiration; 44% of their attack on Wednesday was from the right. The goal against Liverpool is proof of what Saka can do if he manages to isolate a defender. Inter stopped him from doing that through the physical presence of Yann Bisseck, the left-side centre-back being right-footed meant Saka could not cut inside, with either wing-back Matteo Darmian or a midfielder to help.
Like City in Lisbon, Arsenal won corner-kicks in double digits. Since 2021, no Premier League team has a better conversion of set-piece routines.. Saliba, White, Havertz and Thomas Partey would be bunched at the far post but though the deliveries were on point, Inter dealt with most of the 13 corner-kicks.
The ones they couldn’t had Saliba not able to keep his header on target and a Saka delivery that arced in after a touch from an Inter player. It was cleared from the goalline by Denzel Dumfries, who had crashed a shot into the underside of the bar early. From another, Bisseck had to make three blocks. “He (Bisseck) has played two great games against teams like Man City and Arsenal this season,” said Inzaghi.
