Club World Cup Top 32 Tour: Group E Inter Milan, Riverbed, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey

Club World Cup Group E Group E

Inter Milan lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final not long ago, and failed to win the Champions League final within three years. In the 2009/10 season, Inter Milan won the Club World Cup championship once. This season, Inter Milan won the championship from the fourth-tier team to the four majors, but it still lacks strength. The team's age structure is relatively large, which always leads to physical fitness problems in multi-line combat. Inter Milan has signed several players in the special window of the Club World Cup, injecting fresh blood into the team. With its overall defensive performance this season, Inter Milan is still very competitive in the Club World Cup.

The team mainly plays a 3-5-2 long pass counterattack in the league and Champions League. Inter Milan has a wingback with a wingback. This season, the wingback has performed very well in offense and defense. Connecting with two forwards is the team's main offensive method. Inter Milan's midfield propulsion effect is very good. Although compared with offensive teams, Inter Milan lacks speed, but their stable playing style also allows them to reach the finals in the Champions League. The three-center defender defensive system can be said to be the most stable defense line in Europe this season. The real challenge with the team's playing style also starts from the knockout round. However, the change of coach has just been completed, and the formation style may change as a result.

Inter Milan just completed the change of coaching. Inter Milan's famous player Ziwo replaced Inzaji. He has been coaching the Inter Milan echelon since retirement. After this season, he temporarily coached Parma and played well. He lost three of his 14 games in 14 games. Although he personally prefers a 4-3-3 formation, Parma still uses the previous three-center-back system. When he comes to Inter Milan, Ziwo will not have a huge change in the formation style in a short time. It is also a big test for Qi Wo. He has to play such a large game in the early stages of coaching, which is a challenge for him. On the offensive end, Lautaro and Toulam have just taken the offensive banner this season. The two have contributed 40 goals and 8 assists in various competitions. Lautaro scored 9 goals in the Champions League, ranking at the top of the scorer list. The two have good overall efficiency, but they have obviously declined in their state in the second half of the season. Arnautovic, Taremi and Correa have not brought much help to the team this season, and they have occasionally performed well as rotation players. New aid Enrique contributed 7 goals and 7 assists in Ligue 1 Marseille this season, and his arrival brought vitality to the team's offensive end. In the midfield, Cialhanoglu, Vlatesi and Barrela have stable offensive and defensive performances throughout the season. The three contributed 21 goals and 17 assists on the offensive end, not only relying on double strikers to score goals, but also the multi-point bloom of Inter Milan's midfield is also the key to maintaining their competitiveness in the four-line championship this season. New aid Sucic has transferred from Dynamo Zagreb and is unlikely to become the team's regular main force in the short term. He also brings reserves of reserve talents to the team in terms of age composition. Especially when the veterans cannot be fully attending, he and Aslani, Zalevsky and others can do their best to fight.

The two wingbacks on the back line are Inter Milan's eyes. Dumfries and Dimarco are in very good shape this season. They can reach the finals at the Champions League level. The ability of the two is very critical. Dumfries contributed 1 goal and 3 assists in the two semi-finals. It can be said that they helped Inter Milan advance to the finals with their own strength. The two have both offense and defense. The one-on-one pair of strong teams has a good restriction effect, but in the final, facing Paris Saint-Germain, the two can be said to have been penetrated. Inter Milan has sufficient reserves of three central defenders. With Paval's frequent injuries and stops this season, Bastoni, Bisek and Augusto performed stably, while Bisek occasionally made low-level mistakes, but generally it is a relatively stable link in Inter Milan's defensive end.

Overall, just finished the Champions League final, and then completed the operation of changing coaches and signings. Inter Milan has sufficient competitiveness in the Club World Cup. There is only one European team in this group, and there is no big suspense to qualify. Even if you qualify for the first round of knockout stage, you will most likely not encounter European strong teams. In the semi-finals, you may encounter strong teams such as Manchester City, Real Madrid and Juventus. The results are expected: quarter-finals.

Group stage schedule: June 18 09:00 Monterrey VS Inter Milan

June 22 03:00 Inter Milan VS Urawa Red Diamonds

June 26 09:00 Inter Milan VS Riverbed

Riverbed

Riverbed

Riverbed qualifying for the World Cup through the past four years of South American points. This team is not unfamiliar to most fans. Many Argentine stars have started their careers here, and Riverbed youth training has a good position in the world football world. The team won the Liberators Cup last time in 2018, when they defeated the Asian team Kashima Antlers in the Club World Cup to win third place. The four teams in this group have experienced the Club Cup, and the teams performed poorly in the league this season.

The team mainly plays a 4-3-3 formation counterattack in the league, and can play a good dominance in the league, with a higher ball possession rate than you. Currently, 21 goals were scored in 16 rounds of the league and conceded only 9 goals. The advantage in strength has enabled the team to show good defense in the league. With the team's playing style and ability, they have the opportunity to play tactical advantages against Monterrey and Red Diamonds, but facing Inter Milan, the gap in strength may still slow down and focus on defense.

Local head coach Gal Gadot coached River Plate for the second time this season. He coached River Plate for 8 seasons in the past. He briefly coached Sanchao Jeddah United from 2023 to 2024. He has relatively mediocre ability and is familiar with River Plate.

The lineup is mainly local players. Mastantono, a young player who is about to join Real Madrid on the front line, performed well in the league, with 4 goals and 4 goals in 12 appearances. He will participate in the Club World Cup with the team and then go to Real Madrid after the end. Borja, Colidio and Deliusi are all players with good goal efficiency on the front line. Several players in the AFC are good at playing field and have the ability to create threats to the defense of the other three teams in this group..

The midfielder is led by Premier League star Ranchini. He has played for West Ham United for a long time. He came to River Plate two seasons ago and is the most stable part of the team's midfield. Garoppo, Allendro and Castagno have not performed particularly well as regular starters, and their abilities are relatively mediocre.

There are many European players on the defense line. Montel and Acunia's ability and condition have increased the team's offensive and defensive level on the wing. Lucas Martinez and Zepera have also had long-term experience in La Liga and Serie A in the past, with good experience and ability. The Riverbed defense is relatively strong in this group. Whether you can go further is the Riverbed defense is the key.

Overall, there are many strong players in this group. They are capable of competing with Monterrey and Urawa Red Diamonds with their ability and competitive state. There are many famous European players in the team, and their experience and personal abilities in the competition are pretty good. However, competition with Inter Milan is still extremely challenging, it depends on the performance on the spot. The results are expected: the second qualifying in the group, the top 16.

Group stage schedule: June 18 03:00 Riverbed VS Urawa Red Diamonds

June 22 09:00 Riverbed VS Monterrey

June 26 09:00 Inter Milan VS Riverbed

Monterrey

Mexican team Monterrey qualifies for the Club World Cup through the 2021 Central and North American Champions League Championship. Monterrey has some gaps in overall strength and competitiveness compared with America and Blue Cross, and its ability to compete for the championship is still slightly insufficient. However, the intercontinental competition performed well, and had five experiences in the Club World Cup in the past ten years. The best result was third place in the Club World Cup in 2012.

The team mainly plays 4-2-3-1 counterattack in the league, with a moderate ball possession rate, and its overall style of play is still relatively conservative. The lack of strength makes the team lack dominance in the league. In this group, Monterrey has the ability to compete with Urawa Red Diamonds and Riverbed to compete for points. Facing Inter Milan, he may play low-post defense in a low-post manner. Monterrey has no obvious advantage in tactical play, mainly based on his relatively limited strength.

Head coach Espanyol Tulum only coached the team not long ago. This coach has been in the American League for a long time in the past ten years. He has worked as an assistant coach at Manchester City, Bayern and Barcelona. It is not difficult to see that he was once a member of Guardiola's coaching team. Therefore, he is quite familiar with European football, especially football for strong teams. His experience may help the team in the Club World Cup.

The team is also mainly local players. The good performance of Bertelame on the front line is the team's most stable scoring point. He contributed 22 goals in 43 appearances this season. Porto star Jesus Corona and Sevilla star Ocampos performed averagely in the team. His attendance rate this season is relatively high, but the two have only contributed 5 goals and 14 assists in total. However, they have long played in European clubs and have good experience in large-scale events.

In the midfield, La Liga star Canales and Oliver Torres lead. Canales contributed 18 goals and 13 assists in 43 appearances this season. His personal ability is very good. His performance and ability are the key to determining whether the team can go far. In addition, Osa, Fenfras and Jorge Rodriguez performed relatively mediocrely. The defense line is Ramos, a Real Madrid legend who is well-known to fans, but his pension nature is clear and he has only played 9 times this season. It is a bit exaggerated to say that he is the backbone of the team's defense, but with his personal ability and experience in the competition, his performance in the Club World Cup is worth paying attention. Artejaga, Medina and Moreno have played in the local league for a long time and are slightly lacking in personal abilities.

Overall, Monterrey has relatively good strength on paper, with European players in every position, and his personal ability can drive the team to show good offensive and defensive performance. However, the team performed averagely in the league this season and its competitive state is not good enough. Whether the Club World Cup can go further depends on the dialogue between Kawaku and Urawa Red Diamonds, which are similar to the strength, is expected to be third in the group.

Urawa Red Diamond

Japanese vocational league team Urawa Red Diamonds qualified for the Club World Cup through the 2022 AFC Champions League championship. Urawa Red Diamonds have won three AFC Champions League titles in the past. Since the AFC Champions League reform, Urawa Red Diamonds has been the team with the most AFC Champions League championships and has rich experience in the Club World Cup. However, the best result in the past Club World Cup experience was third. They have failed to face the giant teams in West Asia, Africa and Europe, and there is still a gap in competitiveness.

The team mainly plays a 4-2-3-1 counterattack in the league. After 21 rounds of the league this season, the team scored 26 goals but conceded 20 goals. The team's low-level defense quality is relatively insufficient. Therefore, facing the other three teams in this group, Urawa Red Diamonds has a relatively high defense pressure. The team's offensive performance this season is not particularly good. The forward players' scoring efficiency is relatively low, and both offense and defense are insufficient. There may be disadvantages in the Club World Cup tactical execution effect.

Polish head coach Skolcon taught the team in 2023. During his tenure, the team won the AFC Champions League. He used to coach in the local Polish leagues for many years and did not have a good understanding of European football. His coaching ability is questioned by Urawa Red Diamond fans, and he has no clear tactical ideas. Facing the champion teams in other continents, Urawa is facing considerable pressure.

The lineup is mainly local players, with only one foreign player on the front line. Thiago Santana has limited ability and poor efficiency. Yusuke Matsuo and Takuro Kaneko are the main players on the offensive end of the team, but this season the league has not performed very stably. The two players have only 4 goals and 2 assists in 20 appearances. The offensive end is Urawa's obvious shortcomings. In the midfield, Watanabe Ryoma has contributed 6 goals and 1 assist so far this season. Foreign players Savio and Gustavson have participated in the offense. In the past, international players Shoya Nakajima, Takahiko Seki and Haraguchi have declined significantly. The midfield can be said to be more famous than strength.

Defense line, Heybroten and Boza, did not perform well. Although they have a good fulcrum and have good ability to compete for the top, the ground defense is still poor, which has not brought significant improvements to the team's defense. This is also a major reason for the team's offensive and defensive data, and there are obvious shortcomings in defense..

Overall, Urawa Red Diamonds have obvious shortcomings in both lineup and offense and defense levels in this group. Although they are the Asian champion, the intensity of the league and the strength of the AFC Champions League are far from that of the Americas and Europe. They are not optimistic that the team can go very far, and their results are expected to be at the bottom of the group.