Inter have defeated Salernitana 2-0 at San Siro after impressive goals from Lautaro and Barella to seal the win.
Overall a delightful performance with a clean sheet the most pleasing aspect. When this Inter team is playing well, the defence is singing. Today we saw exactly that with Onana very solid in goal.
Let’s look further into the match itself.
Man of the Match!
Our midfield completely bullied Salernitana so this could’ve went to a couple of players. A special mention needs to be given to Barella, but the best performance for me was Hakan Calhanoglu.
Ever since losing Brozovic to injury, several pundits and media outlets gave Inter zero chance without Brozovic. Especially with a young player in Asllani expected to fill the Croatian’s shoes.
Up steps Hakan and wow, what a mighty job he has done so far! It naturally feels like this could be Hakan’s best position, as he was everywhere against Salernitana.
His ability to break up opponents attacking raids, then quickly transition from defence to offence in the blink of an eye needs to be applauded.
Perfect example was seen today, as Hakan intercepted a ball in the midfield, slid in to take possession then moments later the ball comes back to Hakan for him to play a precise left footed long ball into the box. Barella would take a perfect touch to beat his man then slot the ball into the back of the net.
Finally we are able to play through teams, and we look so much better with that tactic. Inter were very predictable at the start of the season where it was “play to the wings then cross” but now at least there seems a bit more variety.
Hakan has been instrumental in this, along with Barella and Mkhitaryan. Using speed and skill to beat their man then linking up with each other to break forward. Bravo!
At the back –
Since the dropping of Handanovic, Inter have gone from strength to strength. In the match today against Salernitana, we would see a back three which hadn’t appeared together so far this season. Skrniar on the right, De Vrij in the middle and Acerbi on the left.
It actually worked perfectly and I’m sure Inzaghi will use this rotation a lot more. The versatility of Acerbi allows his to fill any hole in our defence and he does it fantastically. I think Acerbi has been the biggest surprise so far and he’s a quality defender.
Back to in-between the sticks, Onana is phenomenal. In recent performances and especially today we just look so much more comfortable. As a fan, I feel less stress when opposition sides are peppering our goal with Onana there to save the day.
Salernitana managed 3 shots on goal and each one of the Onana had it covered. There was awkward shot from Piatek on the edge of the box which Onana parried away with ease. I feel like this sort of shot may have worried Handanovic so that’s the big difference for me.
Overall, it’s wonderful to get a clean sheet and will bring a lot of confidence to the side. Especially after struggling defensively for the first couple of months to start the campaign.
Where to next?
For once, there is no midweek fixture so we actually get to rest and recover properly. I would Brozovic to be close to being back on the bench as he is expected back late October. Also, with Lukaku he’s been struggling to come back from injury with minor set backs but he may be back on the bench too.
This is a match we can win, although Fiorentina are always a tough side to beat in Florence.
Prediction: Inter 2-1
As always, Forza Inter!
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