Inter have defeated an in form Atalanta side 1-0 at home to advance to their fourth successive Coppa Italia semi-final.
From start to finish, Inter played fantastic and credit needs to be given to the players and Inzaghi. This week has been tough from a mental point of view with Skriniar deciding to leave, so from a team perspective they did incredibly well to not let it affect them.
Overall, even though it was only a 1-0 win, the showing was one to be proud of. Especially with the new back three combination in Darmian, De Vrij and Acerbi who looked like they’ve played their careers together.
Let’s look further into the match itself.
Man of the Match –
There were a lot of solid players, but one stands out. The makeshift centre-back Matteo Darmian had his best game in an Inter shirt today. Not only did he score the match winning goal but Darmian stopped anything from happening on the defensive side too.
An example of his defensive effort was Boga running strongly into the box, and Darmian met him with full force to steal the ball away from him. Atalanta had very few chances to score, and Darmian was one of the main reasons for that.
An unbelievable player to have at our disposal. Someone that is so selfless and willing to do anything for the team. Just what we need at this club.
The goal itself was a sensational team goal with quick feet from Hakan to Lautaro, then a neat touch from Lautaro to put Darmian in on goal. Darmian would make no mistake with a left footed finish into the opposite bottom corner. A shot which even strikers would be proud of!
In positive news off the pitch, Darmian agreed to a new deal until June 2024 during the week. So, to have a player of his dedication in the locker room will do wonders for this squad.
Special mention –
As Inter fans, we are quick to judge and even quicker to turn our backs to our own players. In this case we were fast to call out De Vrij for being over the hill saying “his career is over”.
With the showing he had today, De Vrij deserves a place in this team. The ability he has to man-mark a player out of the match is sensational. This was the case today with De Vrij taking it upon himself to look after Zapata.
As we know, Zapata is one of the most lethal strikers on his day and De Vrij handled him extraordinarily well. The Colombian struggled to find space and create anything for Atalanta on the break.
I know there have been occasions where De Vrij has lost his man and the perfect example is against Giroud last season in the Milan defeat. However, the experience of De Vrij is definitely useful so a new contract is something I personally would be for.
Where to next?
An exciting derby awaits us next. We are up against the most out of form team in Serie A, which is AC Milan. As you all know, form means nothing when going into a derby so don’t expect this to be a straight forward result for either team.
I’m sure both teams will show their best, so predicting this one will be a tough match.
Prediction: Inter 2-1
As always, Forza Inter!
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