Key Player Preview: Inter Milan
Arsenal are back in the Champions League, at the San Siro
Some sides are seemingly set up to tactically match Arsenal, and one of them comes this week at a most inopportune time for Mikel Arteta.
Wednesday’s match at the San Siro sets Arteta’s possession-minded, careful and dynamic Arsenal side against Simone Inzaghi’s disciplined, defensively well-drilled and counterattack-heavy Inter crew, themselves unbeaten in their last 8 matches.
On the eve of the match comes some bad news, with Declan Rice now sure to miss the fixture. That takes some of the physicality out of Arsenal’s midfield pivot, which certainly could have been an advantage up against an expected midfield three of Zieliński, Frattesi and Çalhanoğlu.
Inter are likely to set up in a strong mid-to-low block, the same variety that ceded 60% possession to Manchester City at the Etihad but resulted in no goals for the English champions. It will be key for Mikel Arteta’s men to stretch the block both vertically and horizontally, making Kai Havertz and (likely) Gabriel Martinelli significant players as potential outlets for vertical passing. Meanwhile, overlapping runs from players such as Ben White could prove key to drawing defenders wide as Arsenal look for chances against the block. That is something that was in short supply with Timber-Partey at fullback at St. James’ Park, and hopefully something on Arteta’s mind this week.
All the defensive hubbub aside, Inter are actually quite the high-scoring side, currently second to only Atalanta (remember them??) in Italy for non-penalty xG per 90 minutes. A lot of their chances in league play have been created by Federico DiMarco off the left wing and Denzel Dumfries from the right, while Çalhanoğlu acts like a play-making 6 through the middle.
Presuming the link I’ve included above is true, Inter are set to do some rotation of key players, namely pulling leading scorer Marcus Thuram and replacing him with Mehdi Taremi, who has been regularly starting CL matches this season. Yann Aurel Bisseck would be a replacement for Alessandro Bastoni if he starts. Bastoni is, by many accounts, one of the best centre-backs in Italy, and him not starting for whatever reason would be a significant boon for Arsenal.
My key player for this match, however, will be the 30-year-old Hakan Çalhanoğlu. He’s likely to make his first start for Inter since October 5, and his presence is key for Inter in many of the same ways as Martin Ødegaard’s is for Arsenal. The Turk has traditionally profiled as a 10 or an advanced playmaker, but was converted to more of a deep-lying player when he joined Inter. Since then, his role has morphed into something akin to what Arsenal get from Jorginho, but with a higher motor - a creative passer with defensive discipline and a wealth of experience. Çalhanoğlu has improved as a defensive midfielder since moving from one Milan club to the other, and also offers threat via free-kicks and set-pieces, which Arsenal have struggled to defend lately.
Çalhanoğlu brings rhythm, technique and the ability to change the direction of play exceptionally quickly, making him a true MVP in many senses for Arsenal. Rice’s presence as a potential shadow-marker and physical bully could have been key in limiting Çalhanoğlu’s time on the ball, and it will be interesting to see whether Arteta pursues a similar strategy with Partey, Jorginho, Mikel Merino or some other combination of players.
