Inter have exploded out of the blocks with a close to perfect performance over Genoa. A fantastic way to start the season with 4-0 win.
The day started with us looking back on the previous season, as Nicolo Barella was handed his award for Serie A’s best midfielder. Well deserved award for a special individual in this Inter side.
It was a sign of great things to come, as Inter showed their strength on the pitch. It was an all out assault on the Genoa goal from the opening whistle.
Let’s explore further into some key points from the match.
Man of the match –
A very tough decision as there were a lot of great performances for Inter. It’s especially hard to go past the player debuting in an Inter shirt, Hakan Calhanoglu.
Hakan was superb from the first minute as he fit in perfectly to Inzaghi’s system. If you were watching an Inter game for the first time in your life, you would’ve thought that number 20 for Inter was playing there for years.
A corner with pinpoint delivery from Hakan lead to Inter’s first goal, as Skriniar headed the ball into the back of the net. A goal really well taken and a moment which eased everyone’s nerves in the stadium.
Not long after, Hakan made a run from the left midfield with the ball at his feet and next thing we know the ball was sliding in the bottom corner. Inter’s second goal in the first 15 minutes and the match really in the bag from there.
We should’ve seen Hakan on the scoresheet again midway through the second half. We’ll go into a little bit more detail further later on, but excellent start to Hakan’s Inter career.
Special mentions –
A special mention to a few players who were excellent today for Inter.
Marcelo Brozovic was the first, as the engine of the Inter midfield never stopped chugging away. Brozovic was possessed today as he bossed the center of the pitch and distributed the ball with absolute class.
A lot of Inter’s build up would not have been possible without Brozovic’s effectiveness. Also, responsible for sniffing out any opportunities which Genoa created and stopping any attack from eventuating. This opened space for Inter to break of the counter and create a lot of decent chances for our attackers.
The bomber almost had a goal himself and forced Sirigu into a great save down to his right. Good signs for the season ahead if Brozovic is in this type of form as he also linked up with Hakan with great understanding.
The second is Arturo Vidal. Coming into the game with just over 20 minutes left could be hard for some players to make their mark. Especially since the 3 points were pretty much wrapped up at that point.
Vidal was hungry and wow it really showed. He scored a goal 5 minutes after subbing in with a beautiful pass from Barella and then Vidal assisted Dzeko for his first Inter goal not long after that. What an impact with a goal and an assist! I’m excited to see this Vidal for the rest of the season.
Please, just stay onside!
I had to find a negative in an almost perfect performance from Inter. It may only be the first match of the season, but we need to learn from this and ensure we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot in the future.
Ivan Perisic was strong on the left side of the field today, but he had a moments I’m sure he wished he had again. The first being an attacking play from Inter just before half time, where Perisic put the ball past Sirigu but unfortunately made his run too early. We can excuse this one as we want our attackers to be making smart runs.
However, the second is inexcusable. Hakan should’ve had a second goal of the match with a stunning volley hitting top bins, but in the lead up play Perisic was stupidly offside. There was no need to be toeing the offside line that close to the defence as Perisic could’ve looked across the field to see all defenders.
Luckily it did not cost Inter on this day. Against a team like Juventus, Milan or Napoli they’ll make us pay with any simple mistakes like that. So I’m glad we were 2-0 up at that point and versing Genoa in this match.
Where to next?
Inter will play next Friday night away to Hellas Verona which is always a good fixture for Inter. Hellas Verona have never beaten an Inter side in their history.
The first time these two sides met was back in November 1996, where Inter travelled away to secure victory 1-0. In fact, the 10 fixtures where Inter have been the away side, Inter have come away with 7 victories and 3 draws.
Prediction – Inter 2-0 win.
As always, Forza Inter!
