Farmers vs. Giants: How PSG and Inter Defied the Odds in the Champions League

On May 31st, when Paris Saint-Germain faces off against Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena in Munich, it will signify the first time in 21 years that neither a Premier League, Bundesliga nor La Liga team has made it to the UEFA Champions League final.

Since Jose Mourinho’s Porto defeated Monaco in the 2004 Champions League final, at least one club from England, Germany, or Spain has participated in the Champions League final.

In the last 14 years, all the winners of this competition have hailed from among those three countries, causing numerous fans to frequently question the caliber of teams outside these leagues.

After PSG’s victory over Arsenal on Wednesday, Manager Luis Enrique humorously alluded to this by stating, “Isn’t it the league of farmers? We are the league of farmers!”

This term is often employed by football supporters—usually English—to downplay other domestic leagues, viewing them as having lower-quality play compared to the Premier League.

Although PSG and Inter might disagree with this statement, they have both managed to defy the odds considerably in order to make it to the final.

What insights does this provide into their perception of the Premier League’s strength?

Ditching the ‘Galacticos’

Only Luis Enrique can determine whether he genuinely believed his statement when he claimed that PSG would fare better without Kylian Mbappe.

When the France team captain and the club’s all-time top goalscorer announced his intention to depart in May 2024, Luis Enrique stated that his squad would improve—in both offense and defense.

“PSG will remain a formidable team, and we’ll only imimproveurther. We aim to sign players with a resilient mindset and those who genuinely connect with the club—such is the nature of things,” stated Luis Enrique.

A year later, hardly anyone would dispute Luis Enrique’s forecast following their victory in Ligue 1 with six matches remaining and not suffering a single defeat.

The simplicity with which they secured the domestic championship – coupled with a lack of strong competition – might have seemed like a drawback when aiming for European success.

In 1993, Marseille remained the sole French team to have won the Champions League.

After coming second in the 2020 UEFA Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the semi-finals on two occasions and the quarter-finals twice within the next four years.

However, with Luis Enrique taking charge in 2023, there was recognition that changes needed to be made for them to finally succeed.

The following summer saw Lionel Messi depart for Inter Miami, while Neymar was transferred to the Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal.

This signaled the beginning of the end for the ‘Galactico’ era, which concluded when Mbappe left 12 months thereafter.

Without them, Luis Enrique created a dynamic, high-pressure team that reflected his philosophy, emphasizing teamwork over individual brilliance.

This season in Europe, PSG had a slow start and concluded the group stage ranked 15th.

However, motivated by the January acquisition of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, PSG has defeated four English teams — Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal — during the knockout rounds.

Experience counts for Inter

Inter’s win over Barcelona in the semifinals will be remembered as
one of the greatest
Two-legged ties in Champions League history.

Barcelona, with the young Lamine Yamal who is only 17 years old, found themselves surpassed by the experience and expertise of Simone Inzaghi’s team, Inter.

On Tuesday, Inzaghi included 10 players older than 25 in the starting lineup, whereas Barcelona fielded only six such players.

When Francesco Acerbi, aged 37, scored an equalizer in the 93rd minute to extend the match into extra time at the San Siro, he became the second-oldest goalscorer in Champions League knockout stage history.

Yan Sommer, aged 36, signed with Inter for £5 million after Andre Onana transferred to Manchester United for £44 million in 2023.

The Swiss goalie executed several crucial saves to maintain Inter’s position in the match prior to Acerbi’s decisive goal.

The total age of midfielders Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Hakan Çalhanoğlu adds up to 67 years.

Similar to PSG, Inter has encountered scornful remarks from supporters who ridicule the standard of Serie A.

However, Inzaghi’s team eliminated Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals and secured fourth place in the group stage, with just one defeat in their eight encounters.

Inter, who have claimed the Serie A title twice in the last four years, have lifted the European Cup three times, with their most recent victory coming in 2010 under Mourinho.

Uefa Champions League challenges but Uefa Europa League triumphs

Arsenal was the sole English team to advance to the semifinals of the Champions League, yet the Europa League final might feature two well-known rivals from the Premier League.

Manchester United and Tottenham have an advantage heading into the second legs of the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday.

If they make it to the final in Bilbao on 21 May, they will face each other for the fourth occasion this season.

Tottenham, who have claimed the UEFA Cup twice before, aim to secure their first Europa League victory since 1984. Meanwhile, United, champions of the tournament in 2017, were runners-up four years after that triumph.

There has been considerable discussion about the situation where two teams from the lower half of the Premier League table might end up competing against each other in the Europa League final this season.

If either Tottenham, who sit at 16th in the Premier League, or Manchester United, who are 15th, manage to claim victory in the Europa League, they would become the lowest-ranked teams ever to win the tournament in its current form.

In the Conference League, the Swedish team Djurgården needs to overcome a 4-1 deficit from the first leg of the semi-final when they play at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.

Chelsea, twice champions of the Champions League, are strong favorites to claim victory in the Conference League.

If they achieve this, they will be the first team to claim victories in the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.

• ‘This is their moment’ – PSG in ‘unique time’
• “Thank You Inter & Barca” – the match everyone wished would never finish

• Tune into the newest episode of the Football Daily podcast.