Inter Milan are the final barrier standing between Manchester City and their quest for the treble in the 2022/23 Champions League final.
Pep Guardiola’s side have already clinched a domestic Premier League and FA Cup double, with Simone Inzaghi set to go head to head with the Catalan boss in Istanbul.
Inzaghi has continued his impressive rise with Inter this season, guiding them past rivals AC Milan in the semifinals, to reach a first Champions League final since 2010.
A final win will be a huge task for Inzaghi, but striker Romelu Lukaku has claimed the focus of a ‘common goal’, instilled by the coach, has been vital in Inter’s march to the final.
Who is the Inter head coach?
Inzaghi has developed a reputation as one of the most consistent and tactically astute coaches in Italian football in recent seasons.
The 47-year-old was given his first taste of Serie A management with Lazio in the opening weeks of the 2016/17 season following Marcelo Bielsa’s quickfire exit.
After guiding the club to a fifth-place finish, in his first campaign in charge in Rome, he opted to renew his contract until 2020.
He continued on an upward curve during his time at the Stadio Olimpico, with another fifth-place spot in 2018, and a Coppa Italia/Supercoppa Italiana double, in 2019.
The 2019/20 campaign ended with Inzaghi finally achieving his goal of a top four Serie A place, and a Champions League return for the following season, ahead of city rivals Roma.
However, after dipping down to sixth in 2020/21, Inzaghi decided to move on, and accept Inter’s offer to replace Antonio Conte at the San Siro, on the back of a title-winning season in Milan.
Inter and Conte parted ways just weeks after the former Italy international secured a first Scudetto since Jose Mourinho won it as part of his 2010 treble at the club.
The decision was met frustration by the fans, with Inzaghi immediately under pressure to ensure his team remained in the title race, despite Lukaku’s return to Chelsea and Achraf Hakimi joining PSG.
Inter battled with Milan for the majority of Inzaghi’s first campaign, but Stefano Pioli’s team held them off in the run-in, and there was to be no title defence for I Nerazzurri.
However, despite his struggles to retain the league title, Inazghi secured a Suppercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia double, before defending both trophies in 2022/23.
| Club | Season | League Position |
| Lazio | 2016/17 | 5th |
| Lazio | 2017/18 | 5th |
| Lazio | 2018/19 | 8th |
| Lazio | 2019/20 | 4th |
| Lazio | 2020/21 | 6th |
| Juventus | 2021/22 | 2nd |
| Juventus | 2022/23 | 3rd |
Did Simone Inzaghi play football?
Simone Inzaghi’s playing career found itself consistently compared to his older brother Filippo, with the latter winning Serie A titles at Juventus and AC Milan, and a Champions League at the San Siro.
Despite real early promise, Inzaghi Jr’s own career never reached those heights, after an eye-catching 15 goals in his first Serie A campaign at Piacenza.
Simone Inzaghi and Filippo Inzaghi. pic.twitter.com/aYYjHOn75L
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) July 23, 2021
That persuaded Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Lazio to move for him in 1999, and he won an incredible four trophies in his first season in Rome, including his sole Serie A title.
His start in Rome showed signs of major progress, and despite not matching Filippo for natural talent, Simone developed a reputation for scoring important goals at the Stadio Olimpico.
He spent a further nine seasons at Lazio, before retiring aged 34, in 2010, and returned to manage the club six years later.
On the international front, he was capped three times by Italy, in his early days at Lazio, as brother Filippo won the 2006 World Cup under Marcello Lippi.
Inzaghi’s managerial record, trophies and clubs managed
Inzaghi is yet to win a league title as a manager, but across his time at both Lazio and Inter, he has shown consistency in winning cup competitions.
- Lazio: Coppa Italia (2018), Supercoppa Italiana (2017, 2019)
- Inter: Coppa Italia (2022. 2023). Supercoppa Italiana (2022, 2023)
Italian coaches to win the Champions League
Italy has produced more European Cup/Champions League-winning managers than any other nation, with their current tally standing at 12.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is the most successful coach in the competition’s history, with four titles, including two each at Milan and Madrid.
Arrigo Sacchi’s iconic Milan team won two successive European Cup titles, in 1989 and 1990, with pre-Champions League era wins for Nereo Rocco, Giovanni Trapattoni, and post 1992 glory for Fabio Capello, Lippi and Roberto Di Matteo.
| Season | Manager | Competition | Final Result | Scorers |
| 1963 | Nereo Rocco | European Cup | Milan 2 Benfica 1 | Altafini x2; Eusebio |
| 1969 | Nereo Rocco | European Cup | Milan 4 Ajax 1 | Prati x3, Sormani; Vasovic (Pen) |
| 1985 | Giovanni Trappatoni | European Cup | Juventus 1 Liverpool 0 | Platini (Pen) |
| 1989 | Arrigo Sacchi | European Cup | Steaua Bucharest 0 Milan 4 | Gullit x2, van Basten x2 |
| 1990 | Arrigo Sacchi | European Cup | Milan 1 Benfica 0 | Rijkaard |
| 1994 | Fabio Capello | Champions League | Milan 4 Barcelona 0 | Massaro x2, Savicevic, Desailly |
| 1996 | Marcello Lippi | Champions League | Ajax 1 Juventus 1 (Juventus won 4-2 on pens) | Litamanen, Ravanelli |
| 2003 | Carlo Ancelotti | Champions League | Juventus 0 Milan 0 (Juventus won 3-2 on pens) | – |
| 2007 | Carlo Ancelotti | Champions League | Milan 2 Liverpool 1 | Inzaghi x2; Kuyt |
| 2012 | Roberto Di Matteo | Champions League | Bayern Munich 1 Chelsea 1 (Chelsea won 4-3 on pens) | – |
| 2014 | Carlo Ancelotti | Champions League | Real Madrid 4 Atletico Madrid 1 | Ramos, Bale, Marcelo, Ronaldo (Pen); Godin |
| 2022 | Carlo Ancelotti | Champions League | Liverpool 0 Real Madrid 1 | Vinicius Jr |