Among the main challenges of tonight’s match against Young Boys for Inter is the particularity of the playing field at Wankdorf, namely the synthetic field. A factor that will affect the game which was diligently addressed by Simone Inzaghi, who chose to leave the morning before in order to conduct the training directly in Bern, allowing his players a test on the grassy field.
The Young Boys’ stadium has an artificial turf playing field which, compared to natural grass, has a different impact on those on the playing field, changing several game features. The Inter’s coach admitted in a press conference yesterday: We will have to understand quickly how it works, it’s something new for us. Everything really changes on similar grounds, it’s useless to say otherwise. But what are the concrete effects of the change?
Synthetic Field, what changes for Inter against Young Boys?
The synthetic playing field, chosen by Young Boys in 2002, is substantially harder than artificial grass and therefore first and foremost, it involves greater physical and muscular stress for those not accustomed to playing on it, like Inter. This leads to more fatigue and especially increases the risk of muscular injuries.
Moreover, this type of grass also has the effect of modifying the passing and movements during the match. The ball actually moves faster compared to fields with natural soil, in addition to the bounces being quite atypical. Therefore, Inter will have to be careful not to take anything for granted and pay particular attention in the defensive phase, including Yann Sommer, against opponents who have been playing in this type of context for years.
Young Boys has been taking advantage of the synthetic field for years, especially in the Champions League. It’s no coincidence that several Italian teams have fallen at Wankdorf in European competitions: defeats for Juventus, Napoli, and Udinese; a draw for Atalanta; Roma is the only Serie A team able to win.
In recent years, many coaches have been particularly critical, especially after playing on this playing field. Last year, Pep Guardiola said: I think natural playing field is better, it’s a matter of common sense. I believe so because 99.9% of high-level teams play on normal grass: if not so, UEFA and FIFA would decide to have all matches played on an artificial field.
