From catenaccio to modern football: How the new Inter Milan conquered Italy

Inter Milan’s history has been shaped by famous names and variable levels of success. After splitting from AC Milan in 1908, they have had to go through spells of impressive dominance, such as their 2010 treble, and also sporting droughts. Today’s team under Simone Inzaghi has once again placed itself at the head of Italian football, playing attractive, modern football that has taken them to a Champions League quarter-final with Bayern.

Find out more about Bayern’s opponents…

The club’s birth was not an hour of happiness, but one full of arguments and anger. In March 1908, members of AC Milan had a row in the Ristorante Orologio near Piazza del Duomo and decided to split from the nationalist workers' club. No foreigners had been allowed to play for Milan since it was founded in 1899. Black and blue became the club colours and the renegades painted the new logo on a beer mat. Internazionale became the club of intellectuals, citizens, artists and foreigners. Their first team captain was symbolically not an Italian, but from Switzerland.

Today, Internazionale still see themselves as a progressive and cosmopolitan club. From the point of view of the hated Milanisti, however, Inter remain more of an outcast brother from the family. What hurts in particular is that Internazionale have worn one more championship star than their city rivals as of last season. It's a disgrace - or a huge stroke of luck. Depending on which colours you ask in Milan.

A derby to win the title

Both sides tell a story that only football can write about the fifth-to-last matchday of last season. It was in the Derby della Madonnina, named after the statue of the Madonna on Milan Cathedral, that Inter secured their 20th Serie A Scudetto with a 2-1 win over AC. It was a milestone for the Nerazurri, who overtook Milan (19 titles) for the first time in a long time. Since then, a second championship star has been emblazoned on Inter's jersey - you get one in Italy for 10 Scudetti. And with seven games to go this season, the club is once again at the top of Serie A, four points ahead of rivals Napoli (who can still close the gap to one point this Monday evening) and a full 20 ahead of Milan. They now face Bayern in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Inzaghi the architect of Inter’s success

Experts expect an evenly matched contest between the German record champions and the current might of Milan. This change in supremacy was made possible by Inzaghi, the coach. He was installed as Inter's boss in 2021, after Antonio Conte quickly moved on after winning the 19th title, because the Chinese club owners had decided to invest less in the squad from then on.

So, it was up to Inzaghi and sporting director Giuseppe Marotte to make more out of less. Half of the starting XI from the historic 2-1 victory over Milan had come on a free transfer or for little money. Above all, a compact defence was formed around former Munich players Benjamin Pavard and goalkeeper Yann Sommer. Defensive leader Francesco Acerbi and left-back Federico Dimarco came from the club's own youth ranks. Ex-Borussia Dortmund playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan and ex-Milan midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu set the pace in the centre, while forward Marcus Thuram, who was acquired from Borussia Mönchengladbach, will plays alongside world champion and club captain Lautaro Martínez. The Argentinian has scored six goals in nine Champions League games so far. The result of this special composition is straightforward, elegant Inter football. Defenders move boldly forward when in possession, while opponents are ideally not allowed into the game at all thanks to tactical tricks and hard running.

Not so long ago, Inter was the birthplace of catenaccio. Almost all of the club's great triumphs were based on this disciplined wall tactic - whether in the mid-1980s, when Karl-Heinz Rummenigge moved to Milan for a record transfer fee, at the end of the 1980s under future Bayern coach Giovanni Trapattoni or more recently under José Mourinho. Aesthetics were never a criterion at Inter. The tifosi always forgave this when catenaccio brought big titles. It was the same with the Inter dei Tedeschi, the ‘Inter of the Germans’.

Brehme, Matthäus and Klinsmann

Andreas Brehme and Lothar Matthäus joined Inter in 1988, followed a year later by Jürgen Klinsmann. Together with Italian icons Walter Zenga, Nicola Berti and Giuseppe Bergomi, they formed an almost pop-culture team of the decade. Under ‘Trap’, Inter literally swept through Serie A, earning 58 points with 26 wins in 34 games – a record not beaten again by a team during the era of two points for a win. In the year of the Scudetto dei record, Inter dominated the world's leading division with iconic opponents such as Diego Maradona's Napoli, Rudi Völler and Thomas Häßler's Roma and, of course, their city rivals with the great Dutchmen Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Marco van Basten.

Subsequently, however, the glamour was quickly lost again. This was due to transfers that didn't work out or, like the legendary Ronaldo, were often absent through injury. In addition, Inter got lost in numerous changes of coach. It was not until the Zlatan Ibrahimović era that the club won two league and cup doubles again. Mourinho ultimately turned the team upside down, bringing in Samuel Eto'o and former Bayern defender Lúcio, and Inter overtook the glittering AC Milan for the first time again with 18 league titles to 17. In 2010, the Nerazurri became the first Italian team to win the treble, beating Bayern 2-0 in the Champions League final in Madrid – their only major victory in a total of nine European Cup encounters.

“Will be two difficult games”

The Inter of the younger years no longer has much in common with the historic Inter. The team and its football have become less predictable, and their defence is one of the best in the Italian league and the Champions League. Two years ago, they only narrowly lost the final of Europe’s top competition 1-0 to Manchester City. In the semi-final, AC Milan were humiliated in both games. This time, Internazionale are determined to complete the journey to the title. And they have been warned ahead of the quarter-final second leg, despite the first-leg victory. “Bayern have a great team,” said coach Inzaghi. “They dominate their league and we will need our best to beat them.” Defender Carlos Augusto spoke of a “great team with a long history. It will be two difficult games, but also two wonderful games - in Germany and in Italy”. In the end, it will be another hour of happiness - the only question is whether it will be for Bayern or the Nerazzuri.