TA: Midfield trio PK, the real highlight of Inter Milan and Paris lies in the technical quality of the field

At 3 am on June 1st, the 2024-2025 Champions League final Inter Milan vs. Paris will start soon. TA wrote an article saying that the real highlight of Inter Milan and Paris lies in the technical quality of the field.

People tend to evaluate Paris Saint-Germain with their ability to run without the ball, because this is in stark contrast to the slack states of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar during the period. But we have a danger of looking at the problem in the wrong way. Yes, Paris is sometimes extremely confrontational and aggressive, but their midfield skills are also extremely masterful.

For example, in an interview with TheAthletic before the Paris Champions League semi-final victory over Arsenal, Joao Neves talked about how he enjoyed chasing his opponent and regaining the ball. But he also said something more interesting. Neves said before the game: "I think they may be stronger, and we may be better when we control the ball, and what we want to do is to use the ball to defend in the opponent's half. Because controlling the ball is the best way to defend."

Neves thinks his team is the better player and he is right. After that game, statistics were circulating on social media, showing that Neves completed the most steals in this Champions League since Gattuso in the 2007-08 season.

This is evident, but the new structure of the event means that Paris has played two more group matches and two knockout games than before, which distorted the data to some extent. However, we have become obsessed with judging midfielders by their ability to regain the ball rather than the ability to control it.

Fabian Ruiz, the strongest player in the Paris midfield trio, is excellent in possession and forward passes. When Spain won the European Cup last summer, he was probably the best player on the team, especially his brilliant two-pull-turned-back scored against Croatia.

Behind them, Vitinia is the real genius. He dragged his position and was amazingly calm when he caught the ball under pressure. But his position is also extremely positive, and he often appears in offensive positions thanks to the turn conversion position of the Paris midfielder. Sometimes it's hard to tell what roles these three midfielders play, because they're full of fluidity and tacit understanding when holding the ball. This is obviously more worthy of attention than their pressing.

If anything, Inter Milan is even more technical. Their deepest midfielder is Cialhanoglu, who played No. 10 in his early career and later retreated to this drag-back position, playing in his best form in his career. Cialhanolu said before: "Pirlo has always been my idol. I like his way of playing football. How calm he is on the court. He can't feel the pressure."

Like Pirlo, Cialhanolu transformed from a front midfielder to a back midfielder. But he also took the opposite path to Pirlo: transfer from AC Milan to Inter, not from Inter to Milan.

Of course, Inter Milan's pressing is also excellent. They use different ways in different games, sometimes people are targeting people, sometimes strategically setting traps and then attacking the whole. But what is even more unusual in their tactical plan is their performance in possession, especially as they suddenly push multiple centre-backs into the frontcourt, temporarily forming a defense line containing two retracement midfielders. Another notable feature of their is that they almost abandon the concept of dribbling and focus on breaking out of their opponents through passing and running.

Of course, the rise of high-level pressing has created conditions for this situation. Because the team was oppressed throughout the game, they turned to players who could control the ball calmly in the backcourt. They deal with oppression by turning the bits. They increasingly lure the opponent into robbing to create space and attack quickly.

All of this can be exciting, but if the pressing itself is considered the most impressive part of the European champions team, then things are going to go wrong. Saturday's midfield match will be affected by pressing. But no matter who wins, I hope we are talking about the quality of technology.

Calhanoglu is Mkhitaryan, another transformed No. 10 player. The player was initially noticeable when he was playing for the Donetsk Miner in the 2012-13 season and won the Ukrainian League Top Scorer with 25 goals. Dortmund signed him as a replacement for Gotze. He was often wasted on the wing while playing for Manchester United and Arsenal in England and performed well when he was arranged to play for the No. 10 position. But like Calhanoglu, he also retreated deeper, and at the age of 36, he felt more than ever that he had the ability to influence the most important game.

The most active player in the three-man midfielder is also the one with the highest position. Barrera is an all-round player who can quickly advance and participate in the offense. Under Conte, his running was once regarded as his signature trait, but he has transformed into a calmer, smarter player.