Inter Milan have finished the domestic season in 3rd position, which is undoubtedly disappointing for a club that expected to challenge for the Serie A title this season. Despite all of that, they have still managed to have a magnificent season due to their heroics in Europe. Inter Milan have massively outdone themselves in the Champions League, as no one would’ve predicted them to reach the finals. Inter’s season will end on June 10th, as they’ll look to overcome an unstoppable Manchester City side in the Champions League final. A win for Inter would not only make them European Champions again, but also stop Manchester City from achieving the historic treble. The Treble is a legendary achievement that has only been conquered by a few clubs, which includes Inter. Let us now look at how Inter Milan won their historic treble.
The Manager
After a historic 3 year stint at Chelsea that saw his team dominate the Premier League, the special one had finally arrived to manage Inter. José Mourinho came to Inter at a time when the club were dominating at domestic level, and it was at Europe where he really needed to work his magic. His first season at the club saw then win the Scudetto by a 10-point margin, but Inter’s overall season was a disappointment due to their failures in the Champions League and Coppa Italia. His next season at the club however, was a whole different story.
Transfers
Prior to the next season, Inter had sold their star striker Zlatan Ibrahimović to Barcelona, in a cash + exchange deal that saw Samuel Eto’o join Inter Milan. Other notable players like Crespo, Viera, Figo, and Adriano all left ghe club as well. This resulted in Inter Milan making several impressive additions to the team in the form of striker Diego Milito, midfielder Thiago Motta, centre-back Lúcio, forward Pandev, and playmaker Wesley Sneijder.
Inter Milan 2009-10 team
Mourinho mostly used the classic 4-2-3-1 formation for his Inter Milan team at the time. Júlio César was in goal, and in front of him were the experienced centre-back duo of Lúcio and Samuel. The fullbacks in the team were Maicon and club captain at the time Javier Zanetti. Coming to the midfield, inter had Cambiasso and Stankovic/Motta as a double-pivot. Pandev and Eto’o were the wide forwards, while Wesley Sneijder was the creative force of the team who operated behind the striker Milito.
It Is also important to mention that Mourinho had tweaked his tactics during the season at the time, and a 4-3-3 were played at times with 3 midfielders in the team.
The 2009–10 season
Inter Milan continued their League domination in the 2009–10 season as well, as they went on win their 5th consecutive title. They won the League with 82 points, which were 2 more than runners-up Roma.
The Coppa Italia tournament saw Inter defeat the likes of Juventus and Fiorentina to progress in the cup, as they eventually reached the finals. Inter ended up winning the Coppa Italia, after beating Roma yet again to a domestic title that season with a 1-0 win.
The ultimate test for Mourinho and his men were in the Champions League. They were drawn in what was considered the group of death at the time, as it included Pep Guardiola’s legendary Barcelona ans 2 League champions in the form of Dynamo Kyiv and Dynamo Kyiv. Inter Milan managed to reached the knockout stages, ending the group in 2nd place.
Mourinho faced his beloved Chelsea in the knockout stages of the Champions League, which Inter won 3–1 aggregate, and CSKA Moscow were beaten in the quarter finals as well. A major obstacle in Inter’s quest to make history was in the form of Barcelona, who were their opponents in the Semi-Final. What followed was a tactical masterclass by José Mourinho, as a legendary defensive performance by Inter in the second-leg saw them defeat Barcelona despite losing 1-0 in the Camp Nou.
Louis van Gaal’s Bayern Munich were the only left for Inter to conquer and achieve legendary status. The final took place on 22 May 2010, and Mourinho’s men achieved immortality as Diego Milito’s brace saw them win against Bayern 2-0. Inter Milan won their first ever Champions League since 1965, and became the first ever Italian side in history to achieve the treble.
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