Intermanager Simeone Inzaghi has stated that it is almost impossible to stop Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, after his remarkable performance in the first stage. He was full of praise for the 17-year-old last week and star defender Alessandro Bastoni joined him in that respect prior to the second stage.
Bastoni, who had previously met him during the group phases of Euro 2024, called him one of the best he had to deal with.
“I think so. I had confronted him against the euro against Spain, and he was not yet at this level. I was impressed how much he was improved,” the Italian told TMW, via Football Italia.
“I played against many top players, and in terms of age and ability to create something, he is one of the best, if not the very best.”
Inzaghi explained that their strategy went more by preventing the service to him than a fixed plan for once Lamine Yamal has the ball.
“It is difficult, we will try to prevent him from getting the ball, although it is almost impossible in modern football. He will be closely marked, he will be doubled and we will try to be careful,” said Inzaghi.
“Like I said after the first stage, he saw him alive, he is an extraordinary talent. His incredibly dangerous at his age. They give him the ball at heavy moments, and I was impressed by his thought rate. When he gets the ball, he knows what he is going to do.
For Barcelona, ​​Hansi Flick confirmed that Robert Lewandowski would start on the bench, after Inzaghi had called him one of the best three or four strikers in the world. In the meantime, the big question marks for Inter about the fitness of Captain Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard are.
“Lauti is a physical and moral leader; we know his importance. These competitions always bring tension, but everyone dreams of playing these games. I try to enjoy it,” Bastoni noted about the importance of Martinez.
Inzaghi noted that the decision about his fitness would come on Tuesday. He participated in the group training after the press conference.
“It depends on how he feels. A player who cannot start the game is unlikely that it helps a lot in the last minutes. His sensations will tell us everything. Unfortunately we have had a lot of setbacks this season, but we know we have a well -equipped team. We have a light training session tomorrow, and if I want to make my decisions, always try to do what is the best for years.”
The Italian side managed to harm Barcelona with relatively little opportunity to continue at Montjuic, but Inter is laser -oriented on stopping the Blaugrana itself. Bastoni said they were also prepared in the first stage.
“We had watched many videos, but playing against them is very different. We will learn from the first stage; we have made several bad steps that could have leaded to goals.”
“Barcelona has 81% owned in the competition and 76% in the Champions League,” Inzaghi explicitly commented.
“We know their quality and that they take risks in the defense, but it is a well -calculated risk of an excellent coach like Flick, which I respect enormously. They are the most productive team in the world and compete for two more titles after winning two already.”
Just like Flick, Inzaghi was cautious about potential changes in the team. The fitness of Martinez and Center-back Benjamin Pavard will probably dictate any personnel changes.
“We will see if we have to make tactical changes. The system is well tested, and this time we play at home. The Barcelona statistics do not change if they play at home or away. We played a great game in Montjuic, even if there were times when we could have done better. If you win, it is even easier to analyze and improve.”
If Martinez doesn't make it, Mehdi Taremi is the favorite to replace the Argentina -International in advance, as happened in the first stage. In the meantime, Yann Aurel Bisseck has done a reasonably good job by replacing Pavard in the first stage on the right side of the defense. There has been a suggestion that Federico Dimarco could also lose his place to Carlos Augusto, after struggling on the left against Lamine Yamal.