Mission Monaco: Lautaro is ready, Pavard almost. Inzaghi in the final with the starting 11

This season of crazy Inter is a film, not even one of the easiest. The logical constructions between the Champions League and the championship, between the summit with Barcelona and the abyss with Lazio are rather daring, and then you risk getting lost in the ups and downs of the black and blue mind, even if the beauty of the ending could always be dazzling. In short, this film must have been written and directed by Christopher Nolan. The blockbuster has been almost shocking so far, as the great British director would like, but you finish shooting three 9 days at the Allianz Arena in Munich and that's where you wait for the hidden light: the last take is the Champions League final, the decisive landing for Simone Inzaghi who would then be the only one authorized to be behind the camera. Given how Serie A is doing, hanging on the pride of Sardinia away to Naples, it's normal to divert all thoughts to Paris Saint Germain. It doesn't mean not trying to double the Italy-Europe trophies, but the Nerazzurri want to be in the best possible shape especially on the night of the 31st: the championship is noble, it must be honored until the end in the hope of a miracle, but it is still less electrifying. Also for this reason it is used to take a run-up.

There are pieces of Inzaghi's starting team not yet ready to start tomorrow against Como, key players who are working hard, but with Luis Enrique in their heads more than Fabregas: Lautaro, captain and leading actor with a pronounced jaw, is the textbook case. From the moment he finished the battle with Barcelona on one leg, Toro began his Bavarian mission. Yesterday he partially returned to the group together with Davide Frattesi, another who made his mark on that semi-final, so far the most emotional moment of the entire film. Lautaro's call-up is natural, his possible use on the pitch will depend only on the training session the day before and, in any case, he will not be from the start: half an hour would be enough to get back to feeling the magic of the pitch and to continue the running-in as best as possible while waiting to challenge the PSG centre-backs.

Lautaro will therefore lead the Inter of dreams in Monaco, the best of the house: they should be the 11 starters, the formation drawn by Simone on a sheet of paper in Appiano at the beginning of the year. It is identical in every way to the one that climbed to the top of the second star in the previous season, but in this one the Nerazzurri coach has only had it intermittently. For this reason, in view of Monaco, at Inter they are also carefully monitoring the size of Benji Pavard's battered ankle: yesterday the Frenchman worked separately again, precisely because he doesn't feel confident in his support and turns, and then forcing himself in the championship with a Champions League final around the corner is not advisable. Luckily, there is time and space to recover well and ensure that the Frenchman plays in his place against his compatriots. Bastoni is fine, but he has just been squeezed more than his other colleagues because he didn't even rest in the match in Turin, immediately after the Champions League. Today Inzaghi will also decide on him, if he started from the bench in Como no one would be surprised: even Carlos Augusto, the decisive 12th man on the pitch, needs to warm up and the left-handed Azzurri player will have to think about erasing any rust to dedicate himself to the Parisian Doué, yet another prodigy to tame: Oliseh and Lamine Yamal in the previous rounds were not enough. But the film itself is so ambitious that it requires special effects, challenges and intergalactic travel: those at Oaktree, who have their headquarters in the city of Hollywood, know this at least as much as the Italian managers. Inter is projected towards the Champions League starting from the owner, who is also blowing out a candle today: the press release for the collection of the pledge from Suning is dated May 22, 2024, one year today. Winning the Champions League in the first year could only be thought of by Nolan, and Simone Inzaghi.