On Sunday morning Inter hosted 19th placed Frosinone in what was a thrilling encounter for the hosts in front of a sell-out 63,000 crowd. Only 2 weeks earlier, it seemed that the wheels had fallen off, but Inter ensured that it was only a small hiccup in their Serie A hopes.
Spalletti selected his team keeping in mind that Inter has a fast approaching midweek Champions League clash, where they will be traveling to England to face Tottenham, which can seal their qualification to the next round of the competition. Without the likes of Brozovic who received a red card against Atalanta, Perisic, and captain Icardi who were rested due to international duty and the clash, Inter overcame Frosinone with ease cruising to a 3-0 win.
The match
1st Half: Inter came out of the blocks fast, and within the first 10 minutes, they managed to get ahead of the game, with Martinez linking up with Keita Balde to put the hosts ahead through a beautiful strike at the near post, giving him his first goal for Inter, and the hosts the lead. Inter continued to apply the pressure throughout and the shots continued to flow. Inter would not be able to get another goal before half time, with the score remaining 1-0.
2nd half: Inter began this half the same way as the first, with the pressure being applied right from the start. And again they would score within 10 minutes, and again it would be the combination of Balde and Martinez coming up with the goal. But this time it was Balde who assisted with a perfectly placed cross, landing on the head of Martinez who put it beyond the reach of the Frosinone stopper on the 52nd minute. Just like the first half Inter continued to dominate play. Martinez missed a great opportunity to bring the hosts ahead even further, Politano also had a couple of shots saved, but the nail in the coffin came in the 82nd minute when Politano put a perfect through ball in to Balde who put it into the top right corner. The match ended 3-0.
Post-match review:
Inter bounced back extremely well considering their last result leaving them with a 4-1 loss. Although it was against lowly place Frosinone, they showed extreme class and determination throughout the match and the statistics just proved how much pressure they applied throughout the game. Inter had 72% of possession, allowing them to control the play. Attacking wise they had 25 shots on goal (13 on target) to Frosinone’s 5 shots (4 on target).
What was even more impressive about this win was the fact that Inter did not have their star players in Perisic, Icardi and Brozovic who Inter has always heavily relied on. Summer signings of Keita Balde and Martinez stole the show, leading Inter to victory, Balde’s performance earning him a well-deserved man of the match (2 goals, 1 assist.)
Moving forward Inter face Tottenham on Thursday in what can be classified as a group defining match, with Inter only needing a draw to ensure qualification to the next stages, whereas Tottenham need to win in order to have any chance. In their last encounter Inter came out the victors with a stunning comeback granting them the 2-1 victory. That was on match day 1, whereas Tottenham have just given Chelsea their first loss of the season with a commanding 3-1 victory. The only thing that is in Inter’s favour is that Inter have the luxury of resting their top players in their most recent match whereas Tottenham fielded a full strength squad. It should be a thrilling and entertaining spectacle with all eyes on Inter with the hope of a Champions League knockout stage progression.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below.
Written by Bruno Altamore for Inter Worldwide
