So much Switzerland in YB’s opponents Inter Milan

Young Boys welcome Inter Milan, a heavyweight in football, to the Champions League on Wednesday evening. The founding of the traditional Italian club is also thanks to Swiss players.

In Italy, the club is called FC Internazionale Milano and the name is no coincidence. The club was founded on March 9, 1908 by members of the “Milan Cricket and Football Club”, today’s AC Milan. The reason for the split was that only Italians were allowed to play for Milan.

The first FC Internazionale team also included seven Swiss players, one of whom was Hernst Marktl, who was appointed the team’s first captain. The logo was designed by another Swiss, Giorgio Muggiani, who did so on a beer mat during the founding of the club.

Sommer suits the style of play

Goalkeeper Yann Sommer, the 22nd Swiss in Inter’s history, also plays an important role. The 35-year-old moved to the Nerazzurri in 2023 after a difficult time at Bayern Munich. There was initially a lot of skepticism about Sommer, but he quickly dispelled it. With him as number 1, Inter won the league title for the 20th time in the spring – only Juventus Turin (36 times) have achieved this more often in Italy.

And the Milanese did so in a more than commanding manner. They distanced second-placed city rivals AC Milan by 19 points and conceded just 22 goals in 38 league games, with Sommer conceding no fewer than 21 times in Serie A.

Sommer, who recently retired from the national team, benefits from the fact that Inter coach Simone Inzaghi likes to play out from the back. The challenge of playing in a new league also appealed to him. Although he knew how much the club is revered, experiencing it for himself was something else.

Sommer is also impressed by the training ground. Each player has his own room there, which can be furnished according to his own wishes. The cooks there work together with a very strict nutritionist. It is therefore no coincidence that Sommer feels very comfortable at Inter – his contract runs until 2026.

Simone Inzaghi with a strong record

Milan are currently two points behind Napoli in 2nd place in the championship. In the Champions League, they achieved the feat of not conceding a goal away against Manchester City (0-0). At home, they defeated Red Star Belgrade 4:0.

The signature of Simone Inzaghi, who took over as Inter coach in 2021, is clear to see. Under the leadership of the 48-year-old, who pays attention to every detail and played three international matches for Italy, the club won the Cup twice in addition to this year’s league title. Last year, Inter only lost 1:0 to Manchester City in the Champions League final.

The name FC Internazionale also fits the current squad perfectly, as it consists of 19 legionnaires. The team has a wealth of experience, with an average age of 29.1 years. According to “transfermarkt.ch”, the team is worth €677.30 million, of which €110 million is attributable to Lautaro Martinez alone. The Argentinian striker and world champion is a goal scorer, contributing 24 goals to the league title last season. However, Inter’s top scorer in the current championship is Frenchman Marcus Thuram, who has scored seven times in eight games this season.

Magnin calls for accuracy and determination

To put Inter’s value into perspective: Young Boys come in at 65.5 million. This underlines the Herculean task facing the Swiss champions. Bern coach Joël Magnin highlights Milan’s efficiency and determination in addition to their strong defense.

“We have to be very precise and determined in the final third,” he said in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. Magnin hopes that the Italians will find the artificial turf at the Stade de Suisse a little difficult at the start and that his team will be able to carry the crowd with them. “But we all know that it takes a top performance to have a wonderful evening.”

SDA