With a 2-1 win over Hellas Verona, Inter have matched their most goals to start a season since the 1960/61 season, where they also scored 34 goals at this point after 14 rounds.
The victory today takes Inter to 7 wins in a row, and unbeaten in the last 14 Serie A away matches. All teams should be worried looking forward as Inter still haven’t hit their straps and they are only sitting one point behind leaders Milan.
Even though Inters style of play has been inconsistent for the past few months, the main thing is that the team somehow finds a way to get the win.
Let’s look a bit further into some key points from the Verona match.
Man of the Match –
This was definitely a tough decision to judge. Inter had so many great players in the match today including De Vrij, Hakimi and even Lukaku had some fantastic moments.
In what could only be called an absolute brain explosion from Handanovic, Skriniar had no chance to react to the parry right in front of goal. We can’t blame Skriniar in any way for that stupid goal which Inter conceded.
Just over 5 minutes later, Inter would setup a set piece from a corner. Crowding the box was a smart move as Skriniar was able to get a free header and send the ball into the back of the net.
After grabbing the match winner and being an absolute rock in defence, Milan Skriniar definitely was the best on field. It was like watching men against boys with Skriniar absolutely beasting the Verona attackers.
Conte searching for the formula –
Inter are getting the wins on the board, however the style of play still isn’t pretty to watch.
There was a tactical move from Conte in this match, as he played both Perisic and Lautaro behind Lukaku. For the first time this season, we saw Inter go to a 3-4-2-1 formation. On paper it looked fantastic, but in reality it missed the spot.
The first half ended in how the previous matches did with a 0-0 scoreline. It wasn’t until Vidal get subbed on for Perisic before Inter started playing some expansive and lively football.
Inter went back to the trusty 3-5-2 and looked more confident as a team. If it wasn’t for the blunder from Handanovic, Inter would’ve kept another clean sheet as Verona really only had one great chance on goal all match.
Although not all fans would appreciate the experimentation from Conte, there will be some who are happy that Conte is trying new things to get the best out of his team.
Scary part of the season coming up –
If anything can break the form of Inter, it’s the winter transfer window. In previous seasons we saw “Inter Bells” break Inter supporters hearts, so lets see what 2021 has in store.
There is no explanation why Inter cannot win matches once the season resumes, but this period is the Achilles heel every season which trips up any title winning ambitions.
There are two crucial fixtures In January with Roma away and Juventus at home. If Inter can pick up maximum points in those two matches, it’s safe to say the January curse may not exist like we truly thought.
Where to next?
Inter will enjoy a well deserved Christmas and New Year break, then resume at home on January 3rd against Crotone.
Only a win is acceptable in that fixture, as Crotone would’ve been sitting in dead last if it wasn’t for a Matchday 14 win over Parma. Fingers crossed we can get another 3 points and keep the pressure on Milan, and also build that gap bigger to Juventus.
Written by Matthew Pickham
