Yeah that's probably a fairer take. I'd compare that team to the best Real teams or maybe our own best sides under Sir Alex. Not the same level but certainly the same profile in the sense that they had great individuals capable of producing brilliant moments on the basis of a strong and physical backline. The current team is closer to Barcelona, Liverpool, Dortmund or City's best in the sense of their work ethic, regimented playing style of high pressing and high energy.
2025 UEFA Champions League final — Paris Saint-Germain vs Inter Milan | 5-0
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I don’t think his Barca team was that entertaining no. Messi made them more entertaining because you’d tune in just to see him, but as a side no. Brilliant as they were, that’s not as entertaining as many other sides down the years. Hell even Enriques Barcelona were more entertaining.
Can't argue there as I said previously, it's all a matter of taste. But surely you can't disagree that people in the footballing fraternity from owners and managers found his style let's say desirable? they wanted to imitate it and copy it to a level not seen since Sacchi and that's not down to it being efficient as there have been many efficient serial winners between these two.
They were pretty entertaining in 2009-2011 imo.
I mean, their 6-2 win at the Bernabeu is one of the most entertaining games ever.
Some preliminary thoughts – without too deep of details( not talking too much about tactics):
• Inter were clearly outmatched by the pace, intensity, and technical quality of PSG’s midfield. In my view, they should have opted for a low block, sat deep, and refrained from pressing high. Pressing should only begin once PSG have entered their half or even penalty box.
• Inzaghi made a crucial tactical error in the second half by going man-to-man against PSG’s midfield. Once PSG’s midfielders managed to evade pressure through their superior technical skills, Inter were left completely exposed. It seems he may have taken inspiration from the Atalanta–Leverkusen match in 2024. However, Leverkusen’s midfield lacked the same individual brilliance as PSG’s, and Inter’s midfield lacked the physical presence or aggression (and dirtiness) to cope.
• Inter should have committed more tactical fouls and played with greater physicality. This would not only have disrupted PSG’s rhythm but also had a psychological impact. No one in Inter’s side appeared willing to halt PSG’s counters — they simply tried to contain without ever truly confronting. History has shown that when an underdog wins, it is often through calculated aggression and the willingness to foul smartly.
• Hakan Çalhanoğlu is simply not equipped for matches of this calibre. He struggled with the tempo, failed to escape the press, and did not demonstrate any of the traits expected of a defensive midfielder — a role he has supposedly adapted to. Mkhitaryan, meanwhile, is showing his age.
• PSG’s defenders are physically dominant, making it difficult for Thuram to hold up play. Lautaro Martínez was unable to provide any sort of breakthrough or decisive moment.
*PSG’s midfield is truly world-class: technically gifted, agile, and adept at playing on the half-turn — each of them. They are arguably the best in the world in that regard. Their forwards, too, are technically sharp, hardworking, and possess excellent game intelligence. PSG deserve to be champions. Their attacking combinations — varied and incisive — tore Inter apart.
***PSG is a deserve champion. They’re a hell of team. Respect
• Inter were clearly outmatched by the pace, intensity, and technical quality of PSG’s midfield. In my view, they should have opted for a low block, sat deep, and refrained from pressing high. Pressing should only begin once PSG have entered their half or even penalty box.
• Inzaghi made a crucial tactical error in the second half by going man-to-man against PSG’s midfield. Once PSG’s midfielders managed to evade pressure through their superior technical skills, Inter were left completely exposed. It seems he may have taken inspiration from the Atalanta–Leverkusen match in 2024. However, Leverkusen’s midfield lacked the same individual brilliance as PSG’s, and Inter’s midfield lacked the physical presence or aggression (and dirtiness) to cope.
• Inter should have committed more tactical fouls and played with greater physicality. This would not only have disrupted PSG’s rhythm but also had a psychological impact. No one in Inter’s side appeared willing to halt PSG’s counters — they simply tried to contain without ever truly confronting. History has shown that when an underdog wins, it is often through calculated aggression and the willingness to foul smartly.
• Hakan Çalhanoğlu is simply not equipped for matches of this calibre. He struggled with the tempo, failed to escape the press, and did not demonstrate any of the traits expected of a defensive midfielder — a role he has supposedly adapted to. Mkhitaryan, meanwhile, is showing his age.
• PSG’s defenders are physically dominant, making it difficult for Thuram to hold up play. Lautaro Martínez was unable to provide any sort of breakthrough or decisive moment.
*PSG’s midfield is truly world-class: technically gifted, agile, and adept at playing on the half-turn — each of them. They are arguably the best in the world in that regard. Their forwards, too, are technically sharp, hardworking, and possess excellent game intelligence. PSG deserve to be champions. Their attacking combinations — varied and incisive — tore Inter apart.
***PSG is a deserve champion. They’re a hell of team. Respect
I think you’re overestimating the entertainment value. Clubs want to win and Pep created a tactical settup that efficiently and effectively swept up trophies. Any club is going to be keen to emulate that to try and match that success. I’m not downplaying Pep’s genius, but for me he did very little to make the sport more entertaining, and actually a hell of a lot more damage to it as a spectacle. The way I see it, he created a machine so efficient very few could beat it. As much as I don’t like PSG and what they stand for, this PSG team does give me some hope that the formula may have evolved because what I’ve seen from them this campaign has been nothing short of sensational.
They were truly brilliant, still the best club side ever for me. But brilliance and entertainment aren’t always the same thing to me.
Any reason why PSG 'clicked' throughout the season? They weren't this good from the start.
I know they bought Kvara in the winter, that probably helped to inject some extra quality.
I know they bought Kvara in the winter, that probably helped to inject some extra quality.
At first we wanted to extend Heynckes. But he wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue coaching. When it looked like he would retire, Pep suddenly became available. We jumped on the chance and Heynckes later announced his retirement.
Yeah Barcelona in that era was appointment viewing on Sky, no other team was giving the same thrill. I often think they suffer in memory because people mix them up with that dreary 2010 Spain side who used possession as a defensive tactic rather than an attacking one.
Agreed. Although the sheer technical brilliance makes them stand out a bit vs sides like Dortmund or Liverpool I‘d say. Gotta say that Inter was playing really bad today (of course partly because PSG played that well) or say was a very great match up for Paris because they were at no point able to close the center midfield at least partly while they couldn‘t play out their counter attacks well enough because that PSG backline (and overall drill) is very hard to beat by any means - be it by pace, physically or positionally - so DiMarco and Dumfries never really started rolling.
Seems like a lifetime ago now.
Dembele to striker was another ‘clicking’ moment, never really played there before and excelled.
Half tonight PSG's starting 11 is truly elite per se and Luis Enrique as well, both as coach and men manager. Sovereign clubs are a real thing, Inter were made to look like a DIY racing car just assembled with old or spare parts... which is true, to an extent. Feck them anyway, though, they will recover from this zeruplete by 2040 maybe. 
1964-1968 United with Best, Law, and Charlton. Hell of a team.
Barca were lucky to get knocked out in the semis.
I don't know if they'd be on the end of a 5-0 clobbering if they, instead of Inter, had played tonight.
It was the final pairing we all deserved to watch actually. Probably a 9:6 kinda scoreline for eternity.
I think they would have been pasted, maybe not as badly, but I think it would have been undignified.
And the idea that Spain played "defensive possession football" is simply wrong. Their setup was attacking by default, but they often didn't have enough sharpness upfront to deal with parked buses. And every team parked a bus against them. Now, the logical question is why park the bus against the team apparently so sterile and defensive? That 2012 final vs Italy gives you a clue. If teams decided to take some risk against them, there was a high chance of being dismantled. Never blame the team that plays in the opposition half for the game being boring. This should be common sense, but here we are.
Surely couldn’t do worse than Inter. I’d even fancy United to end with a better score than 5-0!
I'm not sure about that. And to think we were even being linked with Nuno Mendes in January. So many levels below this side.
Fortunately(?) we don't have to find that out for ourselves soon.
The streets of Paris are absolute carnage right now! PSG have just won the CL, why are their fans trashing their own city?
Barca would have done considerably better. Inter entered the match so timid and scared. Embarrassing.
I think it happens in plenty of places around the world when the team of the city win a major trophy. Crazy, but don't underestimate the madness of crowds and the seeding of barbarity.
Aye, maybe. I think their defense is shoddy. Their midfield has no bite, but of course they've got 4 outstanding attacking players. I think at 2-0 Inter's tactical plan was finished and because PSG are not Barca they did not have a hope of getting back into it.
PSG were a joy to watch, proper fun football, a total mismatch really.
Shame Barca didn't win the semi, think we might have seen more of a contest.
Shame Barca didn't win the semi, think we might have seen more of a contest.
I know it's easy to say in hindsight, but in the last month and a half Inter really should have focused on the Champions League instead of trying to compete on all three fronts. They made it to the final in terrible shape, completely unrecognizable from the team they were earlier in the season
I think clubs definitely value style. As I said entertainment is subjective and there is no one style that can be called objectively entertaining. But clubs do value image. When City were building their project, they never considered Mourinho for example even though he was a serial winner at the time. Chelsea enjoyed so much success under Abramovic and yet he was still looking for Chelsea to boast a similar image to Barcelona's. These people understand that if you want to grow a following from all over the world, you need a brand, a defined style that is seen as dominant and protagonist as opposed to the reactive styles of the likes of Mourinho, Simeone or Conte.
It all depends on where you are in your development, if you are a second tier club, all you want is to win. But if you want to be viewed as global force and dining at the elite table, the people in charge definitely value a style that is considered pro active and front foot. That's what Pep brought and why he was relentingly chased and copied above everyone else in his time. Entertaining is the wrong word to use but it is unquestionably a style that the football fraternity sees as befitting of how an alpha club needs to play; dominant and pro active.
Fixed it, nothing worse than just passing it around for the sake of it.
Boring, boring stuff.
Nah, Barca puts up more of a fight. They go gunshot for gunshot
They have as many difference makers attacking wise
Just surprised. Italian clubs are notoriously superstitious. Not that it would have made a difference tonight!
Well thank God we have tightarse Brexit Jim, Ineos and the Glazers in charge, making the club a laughing stock on the world stage, instead of those awful Qataris.
If Sommer/goal posts magic did not show up in the semis like how they did not showed up in this final against PSG, the scoreline would probably read 12-6 in the semis, so yes Barca (and Bayern) has a much better chance than Inter against this PSG
Yeah, breaking goalscoring records by "passing around for the sake of it" is quite a feat. And all those proper direct teams regularly reduced to hiding in their own half? "They hid the ball, not fair." The fact that people really think along these lines is genuinely depressing. Well, whatever.
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I really think people are confusing that Barcelona team(09-12) with the Spain team from the 2010 World Cup or the 2012 Euros.
Spain was not boring nor defensive team. They were not better in 2008. What happened is that teams figured they're too good and simply refused to venture out of their own halves. It almost worked because Spain didn't have Messi. Italy tried to play, lost 4:0 in the final.
I agree with that somewhat. I think they were better in 2008 with Villa and Torres.
But in general, they were a less penetrative side because of no Messi.
There genuinely was a hate campaign from 2009 on, and it still lingers. Some of it was induced by media, some of it was good old hating on everything that sticks out too much, and some of it was people literally not being able to discern a connection between cause and effect.
Watch those games again and look how teams set up against Spain from 2010 on. Yeah, it often does work, football is that kind of game. But who is the boring team there?