Sub-plots galore for Manchester City-Inter Milan UEFA Champions League finals 

MANILA, Philippines – The 2008-09 season for FC Barcelona is considered perhaps the greatest in this club’s long and illustrious history, and one of the greatest teams of all time. 

They won the Copa del Rey, La Liga and the Champions League — the first-ever treble in Spanish football history.

And the coach of that squad was Pep Guardiola.

In the following season — 2009-10 — Barcelona competed for six trophies and took home La Liga, Supercopa de España, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

In the Copa del Rey, they were ousted in the Round of 16 by Sevilla. It was a shocking loss if there was one.

However, there was still the Champions League to close out the season.

Except they were vanquished in the semifinals by Inter Milan. It was an Inter Milan team that achieved a historic treble by winning not only the Serie A but also the Coppa Italia, and eventually, their third Champions League trophy.

They were beaten by a squad that featured former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o (who was swapped in the off-season for Inter Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovi?) and a coach who would go on to be the anti-Guardiola in Jose Mourinho.

Now, it is Inter Milan once more in a Guardiola team’s way. And this Inter Milan squad, coached by Simone Inzaghi, is going for… you guessed it… a treble. They already have the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana and are going for a third trophy.

Inzaghi is the younger brother of former Milan and Italy star Pippo Inzaghi. Simone starred for Lazio, Roma’s intense rivals. 

But it is as a coach where Simone is making waves. He won two trophies as head coach for Lazio and now has four for Inter Milan. Will he go for a fifth?

Will he give Inter Milan better footing with their own San Siro cohabitants AC Milan that has more European not to mention domestic titles? They are football’s version of the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers; tenants in the same building, rivals for the hearts of a city’s fans, and football glory.

So many interesting sub-plots in this year’s Champions League Finals. 

The UEFA Champions League Finals between Manchester City and Inter Milan will be shown live in the Philippines on the Premier Football channel on Skycable and Cignal, as well as on the TapGo TV streaming application on Sunday, June 11, at 3 a.m.