Henry and Richards praise Inzaghi’s Inter tactics: ‘Not a lot of teams in history do that’ | OneFootball

CBS Pundits Thierry Henry and Micah Richards were full of praise for Simone Inzaghi and his Inter side ahead of the Champions League round of 16 second leg on Tuesday night, particularly with the way the Nerazzurri utilise their centre-backs in possession.

The Nerazzurri booked a date with Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-1 aggregate victory over Feyenoord in the round of 16, which included a 2-1 win in San Siro on Tuesday night thanks to goals from Marcus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu.

Richards and Henry discuss Inter: ‘Never seen defenders on transition like them’

Before kick-off, Inter were one of the remaining Champions League sides discussed in-depth during CBS’s coverage of the Tuesday night fixtures. Both Henry and Richards had positive things to say about Inzaghi, his team and his tactics.

epa11942934 (L-R) Stefan de Vrij of Inter, Anis Hadj Moussa of Feyenoord and Alessandro Bastoni of Inter in action during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 soccer match between Feyenoord and Inter at Feyenoord Stadium de Kuip in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 05 March 2025. EPA-EFE/KOEN VAN WEEL

Former Manchester City and Fiorentina defender, Richards, has predicted that Inter will make it all the way to the Champions League final, but expected the Nerazzurri to lose to Real Madrid if that is to happen.

Still, he claims he has ‘never’ seen defenders play in the way that Alessandro Bastoni and co do for Inter.

“I look at that team against Man City in the final a couple of years ago and the way they set up, they have quality, they have a great manager, but they can mix up their play. I’ve never seen defenders on transition like them, they can find different ways. And when you only concede one goal in the Champions League, it gives you the best possible chance.

“As a team, I just think they work well as a unit and that’s why I have them going to the final.”

Arsenal legend and former Juventus forward, Henry, added that he hasn’t seen ‘a lot of teams do that in history, especially in Italy’ when discussing Inzaghi’s tactical set-up.

“They know how to defend and it’s a team that gets forwards. The two teams that I had in my head that were in control in games were Liverpool and Inter. In possession and off the ball, even if they were not doing so well in games, you could see they weren’t going to concede in games.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – JANUARY 06: Simone Inzaghi, Head Coach of FC Internazionale, reacts, as Kristjan Asllani of FC Internazionale prepares to enter the pitch during the Italian Super Cup Final between FC Internazionale and AC Milan at Kingdom Arena on January 06, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Abdullah Ahmed/Getty Images)

“Inter looks in control of the situation, even when they defend low. Against Arsenal, they had to defend low at home, they didn’t give away a lot of opportunities.

“People often talk about the team, they don’t often talk about the coach. That coach is outstanding for me. What he offers tactically is a bit crazy when look at it.

“When you see your centre-backs in midfield, your left centre-back high and wide on the left, the one in the midfield crossing for the other centre-back in the box. When you press forwards, the holding midfielders are playing as centre-backs to bring the ball out, I haven’t seen a lot of teams do that in history, especially in Italy, so it’s a team you have to respect and a coach you have to respect also.”