Inzaghi's 3-5-2 Inter 2023-24 MASTERCLASS

SIMONE INZAGHI'S INTER 2023-2024 TACTIC

Hi guys, this time I emulated Simone Inzaghi's Inter tactic, and I won all the titles in Italy (Serie A, SuperCup and Italian Cup) but couldn't get past of Manchester City in Uefa Champions League Quarter Finals.

It was a great season anyway, I scored only in Serie A 115 goals and allowed only 19 having both best attack and defense, playing a very beautiful and dominant football and, as always WITHOUT ANY TRANSFERS and playing ALL THE GAMES (except the pre-season friendlies).
Here you have an analysis of Simone Inzaghi's tactic

TACTICAL ANALYSIS

Welcome to an in-depth exploration of the tactical intricacies characterizing Inter Milan's performance under the helm of their head coach, Simone Inzaghi. In this examination, we delve into the strategic acumen shaping Inter’s gameplay, encompassing defensive resilience and attacking dynamism. As Inzaghi steers his team towards triumph, we unravel the key formations, player dynamics, and strategic choices that epitomize Inter Milan’s on-field ethos. Embark on a voyage through the tactical terrain of one of Italy’s football powerhouses, dissecting how Simone Inzaghi has imprinted a distinctive footprint on Inter’s playing philosophy.

Constructing the Play

Strategic Build-up
In the strategic build-up, Inzaghi orchestrates his team in a 3-1-5-2 formation, with the central center-back advancing, assuming a playmaking role, while the goalkeeper positions amidst the remaining center-backs.

Navigating Opposition Pressure
An instrumental tactic for Inter players in bypassing opponent pressure during build-up involves exploiting space vacated by pressing adversaries. This entails players capitalizing on gaps left behind by pressing fullbacks, particularly in the wake of wing-back engagement. By astutely maneuvering into these open areas, Inter creates opportunities for incisive attacks, exemplified when the Juventus center-back advances, enabling Inter to exploit the ensuing space with precision.

Elevated Build-up Strategy
In the elevated build-up phase, Inzaghi's Inter adopts a 1-3-1-4-2 formation akin to the low build-up, with the central center-back reverting to reinforce the defensive line:

Integration of Center-backs in Attack
Inter exhibits proficiency in integrating multiple players into offensive maneuvers, thereby establishing numerical superiority in the final third. Notably, center-backs frequently initiate penetrating runs, confounding opponents and augmenting unpredictability in attack.

Collaborative Striker Dynamics
A hallmark of Inter's effective build-up lies in the symbiotic partnership and cohesive teamwork among strikers. One forward often drops deep while the other maintains an advanced position, compelling opposition center-backs to make critical decisions and creating space for the withdrawing striker to exploit between the lines.

Capitalizing on Defensive Transitions
Inzaghi's tactical blueprint also accentuates exploiting defensive transitions with alacrity. High-tempo counterattacks, targeting the interstices between opposing defenders, form a pivotal component of Inter's offensive transitions, with the team adeptly incorporating multiple players into swift attacking sequences.

EMULATION IN FOOTBALL MANAGER 2024

To emulate this tactic, I started with a balanced mentality, because Inzaghi's Inter always tries to lure the opponent into pressing them and when the opponent presses, Inter can easily get past of this pressing and create chances through counterattacks.

With a balanced mentality I can replicate better this type of approach, but if I struggle to score I can switch to a positive mentality or even an attacking mentality when I am desperate to win.

Other instructions you can change are play out of defense and work the ball into the box. These two instructions, as their name say, should help our team to retain possession both when building the play from the back and when we are in the opponent's half, to play patiently looking for a chance to pass the ball into the box and score. As you can see from the analysis above, Inter starts the play from the back and the central defenders have a playmaking role, so the instruction play out of defense seems correct. But what you sometimes see in Football Manager with this instruction are too many passes back to the central defenders or to the keeper and with work the ball into the box, sometimes you will see too many passes. It's true that Inter tries to maneuver and exploiting spaces, but they don't play too patiently in the final third, they try to overload spaces and score. Here you can see some screenshots:

Screenshots

Overview



In possession



As you can see, I kept the play out of defense instruction but did not select work the ball into the box.

In transition



Out of possession



Out of possession, the pressing line is high and the defensive line is higher, but trigger press is set to more often, not to much often because Inter presses the opponent when they think it's good to do so, it's not a continous pressing (no 6 seconds rule or gegenpress)

Stats

Italian Serie A stats




I hope the tactic works for you too
A hug from your tikitakamaster