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Extended Clip - Inter Milan vs AC Milan Champions League Semifinal Second Leg Preview: Can Rafael Leao Inspire Comeback?
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After losing the Champions League semifinal first leg 2-0 against crosstown rivals Inter Milan, Carlo Garganese and Nima Tavallaey discuss if Rafael Leao can inspire AC Milan to a historic comeback to reach the Champions League final.
This is a clip from the weekly Thursday episode of the Italian Football Podcast.
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Transcript
Semifinal Anticipation: Inter vs. Milan
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast. Well, let's just look ahead now to the semifinal. We're only five days away. It's going to be played on Tuesdays. It's going to come along very, very quickly.
Favoritism for Inter: Odds and Predictions
00:00:16
Speaker
You're hard pressed to find some anyone that thinks Milan can turn this around. The bookmakers certainly think that Inter already in the final. I've seen odds this morning, 14 to one.
00:00:27
Speaker
for Milan to go through. I might even put a cheeky bet on
Milan's Challenges: Can Liao Make a Difference?
00:00:30
Speaker
that. 33-1 on Inter to go through. I mean, that is absolutely emphatic, that is. If Liao is back, can he be enough to rescue this for Milan? Think Inter give away a penalty and get a player sent off and Milan score.
00:00:52
Speaker
1-0 with 10 men. So how is this game over?
Inter's Strategy: Focus and Execution
00:00:56
Speaker
That this is why I'm so frustrated from an Inter perspective that they didn't kill this game off. 3-4-0, then yes, it's over. But 2-0, it's still all to play for. And yes, Mila, Inter are favorites. Yes, Inter have one foot in the final. All of that is true. But this is not over by any stretch of the imagination. And Inter need to remain focused and not choke and calmly continue doing what they've done.
00:01:22
Speaker
and starting with a sasolo game this weekend on Saturday at home and then, you know, continue the rotation policy, continue the patient build up, continue everything that they've done so well up until this point and go into that final with the knowledge knowing that they pretty much need to just focus, keep a cool head and be patient and good things will come.
Milan's Approach: Maturity and Key Moments
00:01:50
Speaker
And from Milan's point of view, how do they approach this game? Do they go all out or do they play a bit more measured? No, no, no. They need to be measured and calm. They need to show that they are ready to be at this stage. They need to show that they are mature. They need to show that they are tactically solid. They need to start playing like a team that is champions of Italy. That attitude, Stefano Pioli, needs to turn up tactically.
00:02:21
Speaker
and have his players prepared mentally and tactically on the pitch so as not to play right into Yinta's hands. And then, of course, if Leao plays, that means in important situations, in key moments, you need to have that killer instinct because this will be decided by the moments.
00:02:41
Speaker
Yeah, I think that if Milan can get the first goal, that's the key. Then it's game on because psychologically that would be huge. I mean, Inter did an incredible job of quieting the crowd.
00:02:55
Speaker
The crowd was silenced almost. For a long stage, they did come back and they were fantastic. If that interfans can be silenced, it might make it into a little bit nervous.
00:03:13
Speaker
The line have to get the first goal. The longer it stays goalless, I think for Inter, the key here is patience.
Inter's Tactics: Patience and Counter-attacks
00:03:22
Speaker
Not to concede, not to choke. This is why I would next week, Karo Simone, you have to start Brozovic and Lukaku.
00:03:33
Speaker
Game plan one, I was with you, you executed it perfectly. Next week, it's all about the space, it's all about holding the ball, it's all about Lula.
00:03:44
Speaker
It's all about Lula next week. It's all about Charanoglu. It's all about Brozovic. It's all about Barela. Next week is all about the counter-attack and attacking the space and Lula. He cannot rotate away Lula next week. I don't care. If he has to start, whatever he needs to do against Asolo, do it. They're a different side. They're actually a pretty attacking side.
00:04:09
Speaker
Do what you need to do, but Lukaku must start with Lautaro against that Milan, because there's going to be space to had. And in the beginning, especially when yesterday, especially when there was so much space to attack, he would have gobbled it up in the form he's in.
00:04:25
Speaker
Like it was, it was, I'm not taking anything away from Jekyll. I'm talking just from a tactical point of view. And also when he came on, when he gets the ball and holds up, they just can't get near him.
Inter's Form: Winning Streak and Rotation
00:04:35
Speaker
They just can't get near him. And it gives into the breathing space they need. Jekyll can't do that. Realistically, realistically, I think it's going to be very hard for, for, for Milan because, because they enter in such magnificent form and they've got six wins in a row and they've scored 17 goals and conceded two in those games. They've just, you know, they've, they've hit form at the right time and they just look
00:04:55
Speaker
They just have so much confidence right now. They look physically in such great condition. And they've really turned that around because that is something that I raised after the Porto game when they had that narrow escape with the three chances and injury time. They looked out on their feet in that game. And I just thought, when would that have been? March, kind of like late March, middle of March. And I was thinking,
00:05:22
Speaker
Deep down, I thought, you know, I've got the legs in them to play all this number of games and all three competitions. And I didn't know they had it, but they have. They've turned it around. This is why you rotate. This is why he's criticized so much for it. And I think he's right not to give a damn. He has to rotate. It's as simple as that. He has to rotate.