On February 25th, the second leg of the Champions League play-off round, Inter Milan 1-2 Bodø/Glimt at San Siro. During the live broadcast, Carragher analyzed the current situation of Inter Milan, and he also praised Bodø/Glimt's performance in this game and even in this season's Champions League.
Napoli were already out before entering this stage. Juventus and Atalanta must work hard to reverse the deficit from the first leg tomorrow. So overall, Italian teams are indeed struggling. When you think about how Italian teams have performed in this two-legged knockout stage in the past, it feels a bit strange, especially since we have seen them do very well in this format.
Carragher: Yes, in the past few years, Inter Milan has indeed been the true representative of Italian football, having reached the final twice. Last season was a nightmare for Inter Milan in a way, you can't even praise them for reaching the final, because they were beaten very badly by Paris Saint-Germain.
And before that, they were very close to beating Manchester City to win the title, but missed several key opportunities. That team used to be very strong and had a top coach.
But as mentioned before, this Inter Milan now seems to be declining overall along with other Italian teams, even though they still maintain a large lead in Serie A.
Liverpool, when not in good form, also went to Italy and won, and Arsenal also played there, even leaving three of their best players on the bench, and still won easily.
We certainly hope that European football will remain competitive enough in the Champions League and that we will see good performances from teams from different countries. However, from the current situation, the overall state of Italian football seems to be quite low and the situation is not optimistic.
But that's how teams are sometimes: either focus on the league or focus on European competitions, depending on their situation. I originally thought Inter Milan would manage to advance with difficulty, but the game was indeed very difficult.
Do they deserve to advance? You can see the empty stands, many Inter Milan fans have already left early.
But for those fans who traveled from afar, this is a special experience that players may never forget in their lifetime.
Bodø/Glimt have always struggled in away games, I don't know why. They try to play in their own way, but obviously the opponents will limit their style of play.
And today they finally won, so now they have won consecutive away games. They first beat Atletico Madrid away, and now they have come here and won.
They played very well in the second stage. I really enjoyed watching the game, really enjoyed it.
Their running, passing and cooperation are excellent, and Bodø/Glimt have a philosophy that many people may not agree with: in their place, the most important thing is not the result, but the performance.
I don't know how this philosophy translates in the Champions League, because I personally prefer to play badly but still win. But at Bodø/Glimt, that's not their style.
That's one thing I learned when I was there.
Therefore, it is amazing that they beat Inter Milan. We haven't seen a Norwegian team go this far in the Champions League for twenty years.
I can't find more words to describe this team.