As Piotr Zielinski joins Inter on a free transfer, Wayne Girard argues it’s a great move to get the Nerazzurri pointing towards the Champions League final once more…
“Inter, I’ll bring you assists and goals. Our midfield has no rivals. And here’s why the Champions League is possible.” – Zielinski
With the addition of Piotr Zielinski, Inter Milan have added a classy veteran attacking-midfielder who promises to provide goals and assists. In addition, the rest of the team gets a player who reinforces a terrific core, complementing the likes of Nicolò Barella, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, and Davide Frattesi. Could this be the leap in quality that takes the Nerazzurri to their second Champions League final since 2010?
Joining Simone Inzaghi’s squad was not an easy decision for the Poland international, who refused a rich offer from Saudi Arabia during the winter transfer window. At a point in the season where all hope was lost for Napoli to retain the Scudetto, and even European football began to look distant, it took fortitude for him to stay in southern Italy.
But after eight seasons and over 350 matches for the Partenopei, he was essentially part of the fabric. 51 goals and 46 assists since 2016, a Scudettoand even a Coppa Italia trophy, Zielinski had nothing left to prove in Napoli.
Upon joining his new side, he referenced his and the club’s ultimate goal: “Besides the Scudetto, everyone’s dream can only be the Champions League. There is nothing greater for a player, also because the World Cup is still something unknown. It’s not impossible for a team capable of making it all the way to the final and possessing so much quality.”
At 30-years-old, he still has so much to give towards this goal. There’s three ways in particular that Zielinski can take Inter back to the final…
The Short Pass
Inzaghi’s midfield demands all midfielders to be able to play in tight spaces, which is one of the Pole’s key strengths. As they build in the 3-5-2, the emphasis is always to move forward with these passes, and push into the final third. This has been Zielinski’s greatest strength throughout the entirety of his career.
35-year-old Henrikh Mkhitaryan will take more of a backseat role as the short-pass killer, a role which he has grown into as more mileage and years added to his legs.
Zielinski Movement
A versatile and athletic midfielder, Zielinski has the speed to exploit spaces against oppositions who press more forward in search of goals for their own. On the counter-attack, he can fill those spaces, providing key passes and goal scoring opportunities from direct locations. All of his goals in the last three seasons came in central locations, spanning from just beyond the penalty marker, to the top of the 18-yard-box.
Two-Way Player
Inzaghi loves for his box-to-box and attacking midfielders to burst forward and stretch the opponent’s backline, just as much as he demands them to fall back in the defensive line. When (quickly) regaining possession, the wing-backs often take the space left open by the centre-forward who occupies the opposing centre-backs, waiting for the final ball from midfield. Zielinski’s versatility allows him to cover this ground and be that player who not only suffocates the opponent to get the ball back, but makes the play forward towards goal.
“My plays, of quality, but also experience because at 30 years old I have seen everything…. I want to give Inter as many goals and assists as possible.”
Zielinski will give his all for Inter, knowing he’s in the thick of his career and these could be the most rewarding years of it. If it goes according to plan, he’ll be the catalyst to take them to prestigious silverware, if not the Champions League final itself.
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