MANCHESTER CITY-INTER 0-0
Manchester City Player Ratings – By Paolo Lora Lamia
Ederson 6 – Against an Inter that didn’t just take to the field to defend, he made his mark with a couple of good saves.
Lewis 6 – On the right he doesn’t push with great continuity, also having to watch out for a Carlos Augusto who is certainly not shy. Better after the break.
Akanji 6 – He plays aggressively, sometimes coming out of the area to stop the opponent’s moves in their tracks.
Day 6 – He had to live with a yellow card from the first half of the game, but still played his solid defensive game.
Gvardiol 6 – Atypical full-back, who when needed tightens up in the center as when he saves a shot launched by Darmian. In the final, he also becomes dangerous.
Rodri 5.5 – The Nerazzurri’s punisher in the Champions League final didn’t have a great night, losing too many balls (especially in the first half of the match) for his standards.
Savinho 5 – The former Girona player starts from the right and then moves to the center, not always making the final play with the necessary clarity. From 46′ Foden 6.5 – Definitely better than his replacement. City’s best chances are almost all his.
De Bruyne 6.5 – The soul of City, of which he is an offensive director but also an executor. Certainly the best in Guardiola’s offensive maneuver in the first half, at the end of which he is probably replaced due to a blow suffered. From 46′ Gundogan 6 – Positive recovery from him, for tactical intelligence and presence in the offensive zone.
B. Silva 5,5 – He usually acts as a technical agitator in the opponent’s half, but against Inter he provides a rather anonymous performance. From 80′ Doku sv.
Grealish 6 – He puts himself at the service of his teammates, serving them on several occasions when they appear in the area.
Haaland 5 – The Acerbi nightmare returns to haunt him. A couple of not too dangerous occasions and little else during the match.
Pep Guardiola 6 – As in the Champions League final he is held back by Inzaghi, but this time he is not saved by Rodri nor pardoned by Lukaku. Something more in the second half with the substitutions, but it was not the usual City.
Inter’s report cards – By Ivan Cardia
Summer 7 – He doesn’t get the overtime, and at City that’s no small feat. Attentive when called upon, a lot of stuff in his footwork.
Bisseck 6.5 – It is, in many ways, Inzaghi’s most surprising choice. There were no great expectations and instead he makes almost no mistakes. (From 74′ Pavard 6 – Few smudges).
Acerbi 7 – In Istanbul he neutralized the number one threat: a year and a half has passed, the result has not changed. Haaland loses – 9 goals in 4 games this season – only once and the Norwegian forgives him, he wins all the other duels.
Sticks 6.5 – The sin of pride tempts him again this evening and his opponents pardon him. The remaining 89 minutes plus injury time are a manifesto of how good he would be – just one more, we’ll get there – in a Pep team.
Darmian 6 – The heel, objectively, is too much and Inzaghi gives him a ticket to other places: he had to shoot. For the rest, application and a bit of a taproot. (From 74′ Dumfries 6.5 – The run and the jolt that were needed. He comes in and sends Mkhitaryan to the goal).
Stretcher 7 – The most Guardiola-like of Inter’s players, not just today but also today. He demolishes City’s game and builds his own, he’s on every ball in both phases of the game. Great effort. He has only one flaw: Inter just can’t do without him.
Calhanoglu 6.5 – This time the duel with Rodri is won by the Turk, and not by a small margin. He conducts the Inter orchestra to perfection. Of course, it cannot be said to be a draw: at the Etihad, only the three points were at stake. (From 82′ Frattesi sv).
Zielinski 6.5 – Baptism of fire, even if he has plenty of experience to sell. A few inaccuracies and a ski slalom, he gives the summer sensation of being a perfect cog in Inzaghi’s mechanisms. (From 65′ Mkhitaryan 6 – He is in the mechanisms. He devours a colossal goal opportunity).
Carlos Augusto 6 – Stop Savinho, Foden is getting more complicated. Evening as a fourth defender, rather than a fifth midfielder.
Thuram 6 – He flirts with the offside, even too much, and could have been more precise in front of goal. However, the match is generous, and the intimidated whistles from the Etihad as he leaves the pitch confirm his danger. (From 65′ Lautaro 6 – The desire to score is always the same, he doesn’t have any great opportunities).
Taremi 6.5 – Preferred to Bullhe inherits many responsibilities, including that for the dirty work. He applies himself, plays a great match and, even if he doesn’t even come close to scoring, he shows that in this Inter he has his place in the sun.
Simone Inzaghi 6.5 – Eight new additions to the Monza lineup: it’s a week that is judged mainly on the basis of the derby. However, he takes home a good point from Manchester: it’s more convenient for him than for Pep, in the complicated calculations for the new Champions League. It would be worth a 7 because playing on equal terms with this City is not for everyone, let’s fly low while waiting for the derby.