Simone Inzaghi: Why more clubs should be considering Inter Milan's 'normal one'

On 1 April last year Simone Inzaghi's Inter Milan were the undoubted April Fools. A 1-0 defeat by Fiorentina had the media questioning his future at the club.

Inter's attack relied almost exclusively on a striker getting on the end of a cross. Inter couldn't score at home nor did they seem to have an alternative gameplan.

Inzaghi was blamed for practically everything that day, from the incessant use of the wings to the lack of squad rotation, even for the club not sanctioning the arrival of Paulo Dybala the previous summer to boost creativity.

Fast forward one year exactly and Serie A leaders Inter defeated Empoli 2-0 on Easter Monday, displaying their beauty and positional fluidity.

That was Inzaghi's 100th Serie A win, the best win rate of any Nerazzurri manager who has spent more than one year in charge - 150 matches, 100 wins, 67% success rate.

Inter not only hold a 14-point gap over second place but the manner in which they play is tantalising.

You simply have to sit back and applaud a side that encourages every outfield player to participate in attacking moves, allowing four of their last five goals to be scored by defenders.

La Repubblica insisted the Nerazzurri had now earned comparisons to the Dutch 'Total Football' sides of the 1970s.

The fact players had freedom to pursue attacking moves as the rest of the team adjusts, seamlessly rotating positions to ensure consistent solidity and an unpredictable attack - it was indeed reminiscent of the Oranje national side's incredible style.

It's no wonder that Inzaghi is now being linked to high-profile jobs in England and abroad, including Liverpool.

Those paying attention will note Inzaghi has been achieving rather exceptional things as coach for some time.

At Lazio, Inzaghi challenged Juventus for the title in 2019-20 until the pandemic robbed them of their momentum, while building up a reputation of winning cups - twice collecting the Supercoppa Italiana as well as the Coppa Italia in 2019.

His brand of football captured the imagination, although criticism of him has been both exaggerated and predictable from the ever-demanding Italian press.

Not that Inzaghi has always been perfect.

Losing to Atletico Madrid on penalties in the Champions League brought further reproach.

Introducing so many defensive players in hope of securing a narrow aggregate victory was risky. It ended with Atletico scoring to take the game to extra time.

Did he panic? Perhaps, but it's difficult to reproach a coach for banking on a defence that conceded only 13 league goals to not finish the job off. More importantly, his side squandered two big chances towards the end.

In previous years, the coach's insistence on subbing players on a yellow card, his overreliance on his starting XI, his consistent like for like changes and inability to keep tension high to secure consistency have rightfully been considered as weaknesses.

Yet Inzaghi has absorbed and learned from criticism, using it to grow and develop. Every year, one can see the progression of his squads, the growing mentality and the sophistication of the tactics.

Inter's players are very good but we think of them as being outstanding largely because of Inzaghi.

The club continue to lose some of their best players each year to survive financially yet the results continue, while the style of play evolves and improves.

Andre Onana, Milan Skriniar, Romelu Lukaku and Marcelo Brozovic went last summer, yet the team look better, setting a record by scoring in each of their 30 league games this season.

With each new signing selected for their potential by Inter's excellent directors, Inzaghi develops that potential into remarkable talent.

When the Nerazzurri lost Christian Eriksen, Hakan Calhanoglu came to mind.

Inzaghi told Gazzetta dello Sport: "I was on holiday for three days in Ponza with some friends, my wife and children. I spent more time on the phone with Hakan than with my family, but at that moment he was the ideal player for my way of seeing football."

Under Inzaghi's tutelage, the Turkish player has been pushed into a deeper role and developed into one of the finest midfielders in Europe.

Developing players is one of Inzaghi's great strengths.

Ciro Immobile won the Golden Boot at Lazio in 2020, scoring 36 goals in the league and equalling Gonzalo Higuain's record, and much of that was down to the tactics Inzaghi built to extract the potential of the predatory striker.

Immobile was quick to dedicate the award to the fans but also to his friend Inzaghi. The duo shared a friendship that went far beyond player and coach.

At Inter, the players are awed by his humility. He does not possess the infectious ambition of Antonio Conte, the charisma of Carlo Ancelotti or the tactical bravery of Roberto de Zerbi. Inzaghi is special because he is simple, he just loves coaching and fulfilling a childhood dream.

He was thinking like a coach even when he was a player. While brother Filippo was busy beating the offside trap and rising to the top, it was Simone who was the more technically gifted.

Giovanni Trainini, one of Simone's first coaches, insisted: "Simone was technically stronger than Filippo. No doubt. He had more quality; he was unlucky in his career." Filippo agrees with this analysis.

While Simone enjoyed a great career as a player, winning the Scudetto with Lazio, his coaching career continues to grow and there is still so much to achieve.

At Inter he's all but secured his first title as coach. He may well break the record set by Juventus for points collected in a single season. This comes on the back of taking the Nerazzurri to the Champions League final last season, battling admirably against Manchester City despite the gulf in riches.

With a contract that runs until 2025, Inzaghi is happy at Inter, who have supported him in realising his sporting vision.

That doesn't mean he will not be tempted by a move one day, especially if Inter continue battling financial issues.

Whether or not another club abroad will offer him the tools to recreate the magic he has at Inter is a question he must ponder.

Italy is his home and Inzaghi has found a way of balancing the pressures of such a big job by having his family and close friends around him.

"We don't have a social life, for Simone going out in the evening means going down to the bar under the house to meet some friends, but by 7.30pm he's already back," explained his wife Gaia Lucariello to Corriere dello Sport.

Inter is about the players and rarely the coach and that's exactly how Inzaghi wants it.

He likes the world to focus on the strength of his men rather than the skill of his management, rarely indulging in mind games with opposing coaches or speaking controversially to attract or deflect attention.

He neither chases recognition nor the limelight. He truly is 'the normal one'. Can the normal one be the special one for an English team?

Mina Rzouki is a European football journalist and broadcaster who is writing for BBC Sport this season. If you have a question on European football that you'd like to ask her, then fill out the form below and she will answer a selection of them in subsequent columns.

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