Simone Inzaghi and his Inter side will have kept a close eye over Saturday afternoon’s Manchester derby in the FA Cup final, as Pep Guardiola’s City put their cross-city rivals to the sword on their way to lifting their second trophy of the season in their last game before the Champions League final on June 10. 

City, ruthless as ever against Man United at Wembley on Saturday, put in a performance worthy of the cup, but at the same time, there were still certain areas in which the domestic double winners looked vulnerable, which can only be a positive indication for Inter and Inzaghi. 

The diamond in City’s extensive armoury is of course the emphatic Erling Haaland, however, the towering Norwegian is on somewhat of a mini goal drought by his usual meteoric standards. The Premier League golden boot winner has been kept quiet in his last four games, not finding the net since the 3-0 win over Everton on May 14. 

At the other end of the pitch, England international and arguably one of the Premier League’s greatest ever right-backs, Kyle Walker, found himself under pressure on numerous occasions on Saturday afternoon. 

The 32-year-old, though blessed with pace, was given a tough test from United’s exciting young Spaniard Alejandro Garnacho when Erik Ten Hag brought him on midway through the second half. Walker, particularly towards the end of the game, did not look quite as comfortable as he often does. 

And, whilst Guardiola’s squad is overflowing with brilliant defensive options, those who do play are not always given the necessary support from City’s wide attackers during the defensive phases of the game. Jack Grealish, more often that not, is one of those suspects.  

With Inzaghi preferring a system that utilises wing-backs, Inter’s Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco could come in handy if they are able to get themselves into the right positions between City’s wingers and full-backs in Istanbul. 

Still, there is plenty to be wary of. Ilkay Gundogan’s brace served as a reminder that goals can come from all over the pitch when City take to the field, and the German international’s midfield partners, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne would likely walk into practically any other starting line-up in the world. 

John Stones, now adept at stepping into the midfield during the build-up, is staking a claim as being one of the world’s finest centre halves, and whilst he hasn’t scored for four games, dealing with Erling Haaland is a tough ask for any team in any game, regardless of the occasion. 

Inter, too, are a decent side as well, of course, and have reached the Champions League final on merit. They have attacking threats on their own and certainly won’t make life easy for City with their rigid defensive set-up either. 

The Nerazzurri are also one of only six clubs in Europe to have completed the cup treble and only one team in England have managed the same. Still, It will take some performance if Inter are to prevent Guardiola and his team from becoming the seventh team on that list next weekend. 

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