In a match where Inter was in control for the majority, the final score has ended 3-2 in Inter’s favour as we are now 4 points from top spot.
It was a game which Inter should’ve put to bed by the 70 minute, however we can never escape “Pazza Inter”! This match going down the wire as we were lucky to hang on in the end.
Let’s look a bit further into some key points from the match.
Man of the Match –
This is the closest one yet as we had some very outstanding performances from important personnel today. The likes of Perisic and Darmian played out of their skin and were very impressive.
For me, the standout was Hakan Calhanoglu. A player who’s been at the forefront of criticism is finally starting to find his feet. In recent matches, Hakan is providing the perfect link between the strikers and the midfield.
His ability off the ball to run into space is second to none, and as his team mates learn his movements I see Inter’s attack flourishing. It’s unbelievable what a little bit of confidence can do, and the penalty against Milan was just what he needed.
Another penalty today which was pinpoint into the bottom corner left Ospina with no chance to stop it even if he guessed the correct way. Losing Lukaku really diminished our percentage from the spot, but I think Hakan moving forward will be the best choice.
Not long after, a delightful corner hitting Perisic at the front post providing Hakan with his second assist for the season. Corners and set pieces are much more dangerous with Calhanoglu in the squad, so I see his numbers only increasing as the season goes by.
Almost killed us… AGAIN!
These substitutions from Inzaghi almost cost us the result again. It’s not for the first time we are sitting here after the match bemused with the changes made.
Firstly, Correa just scored an incredible goal and the next course of action was to take him off the field. We’ve seen in previous matches, once Correa gets a bit of momentum his actions usually come in twos. Fair enough if he had a slight muscular concern though.
Especially for Dzeko who was very sluggish today and definitely looked like a 35 year old on the pitch. His actions were very slow and thought that injection of speed which Correa provides was needed for a little bit longer.
On another sub, I think Vidal is still upset about the red card he received on international duty, as he looked lost on the field today. Personally, Hakan should’ve been kept for a little bit longer on the field as we completely lost that midfield link once Hakan was removed.
Barella for Vidal would’ve made more sense to me, and would’ve kept that pressure on moving forward. This would’ve been the perfect time to give Barella some rest.
Finally, Dimarco coming on which moved Perisic to a second striker just didn’t make sense. There were a lot of things which Perisic did perfectly today, and Dimarco completely lost that edge for the remainder of the game.
Luckily Mertens missed that last chance in the 94th minute otherwise we would’ve cost ourselves two points.
Interchangeable –
The squad players who rotate as starters has Inter sitting in a beautiful position. With De Vrij injured during the latest international break, every Inter fan was wondering what would happen in this Napoli game.
Fortunately we have two professionals in our squad by the names of Andrea Ranocchia and Danilo D’Ambrosio who are available to fill in at any time.
Today, it was Andrea’s turn to show his worth. A wonderful performance from the experienced Italian, who had the difficult task of marking Osimhen from Napoli. On every occasion Ranocchia got the better of his man, as Osimhen struggled to impose himself on the Inter defence.
We are truly blessed to have these squad players, and it really helps us compete in both Italian and European football. I believe it’s the most underrated part of Inter’s squad which not many Italian teams have – DEPTH!
Finally got his goal –
In all honesty, I don’t think Lautaro was that good today. Yes, he got his goal but besides that he didn’t offer the team too much more.
The Argentine has been searching for a goal as of late, so it was great to finally see him hit the back of the net. The combination of Correa and Lautaro up front provided Inter with another dimension to their attack.
Hopefully this can put Lautaro back on track, as he started the season on fire and then seemed to have quietened down. We have some matches against some “easier” opponents coming up, so this may be the time to hit some form again.
It was also great for Lautaro to hand the penalty over to Hakan and not complain about it. It shows this team doesn’t have any egos which is fantastic.
Where to next?
We face Shakhtar in the Champions League which is a much win game for Inter. Hopefully a result in the other match can put Inter through to the Round of 16 with a victory against Shakhtar.
I think we can definitely get a positive result. This will be the first time for a while our beloved Inter will make it out of the group stages.
Prediction: Inter 2-0
As always, Forza Inter!
