Worst Decisions Made by Inter Milan Coach That Cost Them the Champions League Trophy

 Inter Milan’s 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 UEFA Champions League final was not just a result of PSG’s attacking brilliance—it also reflected a series of costly decisions made by Inter coach Simone Inzaghi. On the biggest night of the season, Inter were tactically outmatched, mentally unprepared, and lacked a response from the bench.

The first major flaw was Inzaghi’s rigid tactical setup. He stuck with his usual 3-5-2 formation, a system that had brought consistency throughout the campaign. But against a fast, pressing PSG side, it backfired. The French champions exploited gaps between the lines, dominated the midfield, and forced Inter into making rushed decisions. Inzaghi made no tactical changes to counter PSG’s shape or intensity, leaving his side exposed and outplayed.

His second mistake was the timing and nature of substitutions. Despite trailing and being overwhelmed, Inzaghi waited until the 69th minute to make his first change, removing Hakan Çalhanoğlu for Kristjan Asllani—a swap that failed to alter the course of the game. Even more concerning was how long he delayed introducing attacking options. Mehdi Taremi and Marko Arnautović, both capable of changing a match, were left on the bench for too long. By the time they came on, PSG had already sealed the outcome.

Another poor call was his decision to keep struggling players on the pitch. Lautaro Martínez, usually Inter’s most reliable attacker, had one of his quietest games in recent memory. Yet he stayed on for the full 90 minutes, offering little threat and looking isolated up front. With no tactical shift or early substitution to shake things up, Inter’s attack remained predictable and ineffective.

Defensively, Inter were also exposed. PSG’s attacking movement ripped through a backline that looked slow and disorganized. Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni were repeatedly caught out by Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Inzaghi failed to react or adjust the defensive setup, allowing PSG to score freely and maintain control from start to finish.