If Inter Milan are to stand a chance of beating the imperious Manchester City in Saturday's Champions League final, they will have to figure out a way of breaking down the English side's excellent rearguard.
Much of the focus in the weeks leading up to the final has been on how Inter's defence will cope with Manchester City's immense attacking talent, but the English champions are no slouches in defence either.
With Kyle Walker passed fit for the final, City will have a full strength defensive lineup to call on for Saturday evening's game in Istanbul, and the question for Inter coach Simone Inzaghi will be how to get past the likes of Walker, Ruben Dias and Nathan Aké.
One revelatory element of Manchester City's defensive system this season has been the deployment of John Stones in a new hybrid role which sees the Englishman stepping up into midfield in transitions - something that Irish star Evan Ferguson thinks Inter can take advantage of.
Inter v Manchester City: Evan Ferguson leaning towards Romelu Lukaku
Veteran ex-City striker Edin Dzeko appears to have cemented his place in up front in Inter's first choice starting XI, but the talent of Romelu Lukaku on the bench poses a selection headache for Inzaghi.
Speaking at a recent LiveScore event in Dublin to preview the Champions League final, Ireland international Evan Ferguson said that he would plump for Lukaku from the off in Istanbul, in an effort to stifle the influence of John Stones on the game.
Start Dzeko or Lukaku vs Man City 🤔
Brighton striker Evan Ferguson gave us some great insight with his pick 👀 pic.twitter.com/xnJ5rmoo1Z— LiveScore (@livescore) June 8, 2023
Ferguson went on to say that the potential influence from Edin Dzeko off the bench would only add to the danger posed to Manchester City:
If I was the manager, I'd start Lukaku and then bring on Dzeko. I think they'd get so concentrated on Lukaku and what he's doing - then, if they [Inter] make the sub, they won't be so switched on when Dzeko comes on.
Dzeko brings a different kind of presence to the team. If I was the manager, I'd start Lukaku - I think that would change how Pep would play his defensive midfielder. I think he'd want him deeper if Lukaku was playing - once Dzeko comes on, he might push him forward a bit to change the game.
It's one of the few question marks remaining as to the two XIs we will see on Saturday night - and it will be intriguing to see if Simone Inzaghi agrees with Evan Ferguson's take.
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