Inter’s final friendly has ended in a 3-0 romp of Dynamo Kiev. Only positive vibes shown as Barella, Dzeko and Sensi banged in goals.
From the opening whistle Inzaghi’s men were very strong and this continued for the entire 90 minutes.
A fantastic debut in an Inter shirt for Dzeko as we saw what life without Lukaku will look like for the season ahead.
Let’s look at some more key points from the match.
He’s like a brand new signing!
It’s very hard not to comment on an Inter player who’s had nothing but bad luck since being in an Inter shirt. Stefano Sensi has been called “Mr. Glass” over the past couple of seasons because of his time off the pitch due to injuries.
Every night Stefano Sensi is in my prayers that he stays fit. If he can stay healthy for the entire season then I have no doubt that Inter will play a beautiful style of football and be very successful too.
The link up play for Inter’s first goal put a massive smile on my dial. A backheel from Dzeko to Sensi, then another backheel from Sensi to Barella, and finally Barella putting the ball in the back of the net was absolutely special.
This is definitely not overhype, as Sensi will be an important puzzle piece for this Inter side. Especially since Eriksen will no longer be in the squad, then Sensi can fill that role with no issues.
Wow, he’s brilliant!
If we think that Barella was special last season, I think he’ll be the complete player this year!
At the young age of 24 we are seeing absolute brilliance from this man Barella. Fresh off the Euro 2020 win with Italy, the confidence being exuberated on the pitch from Barella will continue long into the season ahead.
Today, Nicolo’s link up play and finishing ability was on show for the world to see. That first goal as mentioned earlier was beautiful, but Barella could’ve definitely added a second as he had a headed chance directed straight at the opposition keeper.
Barella’s touches are magical, his fight for the ball is incomparable and the kid just never stops! Completely different eras and positional players, but Barella reminds me so much of Zanetti in an Inter shirt.
We are witnessing our future captain in the making as Barella possesses all the skills which make all us fans so proud and make us love this team so much more.
A look into a different formation –
Under Antonio Conte it was very difficult for Inter to be successful with any formation besides a 3-5-2. Conte tweaked around with a 3-4-1-2 at times, but the style of play never really looked pretty.
Today we saw a 3-5-1-1 which definitely hasn’t been used at Inter for a long time. I’m trying to think the last time this was used and we are probably going back to the Mazzarri days. Let’s never mention those dark ages ever again!
The formation today was nothing short of amazing. Seeing Edin Dzeko on his Inter debut as the target man actually had me feeling confident. With Sensi sitting just behind him and a center midfield trio of Calhanoglu, Barella and Brozovic gives them all freedom to roam around the pitch.
Another thing to mention is because of this saturation in midfield, it really stops opposition teams from gaining any traction on counter attacks. Be prepared to see Inter really dominate matches in regards to attacking chances, as this formation sets up for that perfectly.
Under Inzaghi we aren’t seeing any stubbornness towards change, and I think a coach who embraces change will be successful for years to come.
It’s only friendlies so I don’t want us to get ahead of ourselves, but we have just beaten the Ukrainian champions with ease, who have also qualified for the Champions League. Also, they are already 3 games into their season so their match fitness would be much better than Inter’s.
Definitely a lot of positives to take from this victory!
Where to next?
Inter now look forward to the start of the Serie A season where they will face Genoa in the opener. We are back at the San Siro where Inter will look to show the league who’s still the team to beat!
Prediction – Inter 4-0
As always, Forza Inter!
