MILAN – Simone Inzaghi has claimed his place at football management’s top table, after clinching his first Serie A title as coach following a 2-1 win in the Milan derby on April 22.

Inter Milan’s Scudetto is easily the Italian’s biggest honour since winning it as a player with Lazio 24 years ago, and comes after three years of off-field turbulence and serious financial problems at the club, which he navigated with aplomb.

He had already attracted plaudits, not least from Pep Guardiola, by taking his team to last season’s Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Manchester City.

Before this league-winning campaign, he was largely seen as a Cup specialist as he had won three Italian Cups and five Italian Super Cups since starting his coaching career at Lazio in 2016.

“Three years with six trophies (Serie A, two Italian Cups and three Super Cups) and a Champions League final is difficult to imagine,” Inzaghi, 48, said of his time with Inter.

“You need to look at the whole three years. We have had a good run this year but it’s a victory that has been a long time in the making.”

At Lazio, the Italian had made an immediate impact as coach, taking the Roman club back into Europe and losing the Italian Cup final to all-conquering Juventus.

Lazio, who are hampered by their budget, are frequently overshadowed by city rivals AS Roma.

Inzaghi’s achievements with them might not sound like much, but it was enough to attract cash-strapped Inter, who were hit by Antonio Conte’s departure after sealing their Serie A title in May 2021.

Inter were about to go into full-blown crisis mode when Inzaghi arrived. Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi, the two stars of the previous campaign, were sold. Their departure caused fan protests outside the club’s headquarters.

Inzaghi, however, is used to doing more with less. In stark contrast to Conte, he brought in cheap replacements for the departing stars rather than complain.

It is something he has made a habit of, as Inter’s successful domestic campaign came after yet another pre-season in which big players left and financial problems hampered their transfer activity.

Inter were not even sure who their No. 1 goalkeeper was going to be until a fortnight before the start of the season after Andre Onana was sold to Manchester United.

Yann Sommer was brought in for a relative pittance, while Benjamin Pavard did not arrive until transfer deadline day but has since slotted perfectly into the Nerazzuri’s three-man defence.

Meanwhile, Marcus Thuram came on a free transfer and immediately struck up a devastating partnership with Lautaro Martinez, which made up for the loss of Edin Dzeko and Lukaku.

It all paid off as on April 22, Inter sealed their 20th Serie A title after their win over Milan gave them an unassailable lead in the standings.

Off a corner, Pavard provided a flick-on assist for Francesco Acerbi’s 18th-minute opener, while Thuram made it 2-0 after the break with his 12th league goal of the season.

Fikayo Tomori halved the deficit in the 80th minute, but that was all the Rossoneri could muster.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for Milan, who share the San Siro with Inter, but were the home team for this match.

Not only did they have to host a title-winning party for their rivals, but the defeat also meant that Inzaghi’s men have broken a tie with Milan on the number of Serie A titles won. AFP, REUTERS