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With Gosens official announcement to Inter imminent in the coming days, we analyse how this will affect the future of Ivan Perisic. We also compare the two players in different aspects of the game.
From what we’ve heard, there are still ongoing negotiations between Inter’s directors and Perisic’s management. Although, these negotiations seem to have stalled so this may have lead to Gosens signing.
Let’s look further into a comparison between the two players.
Fitness –
There is no fitter player on the planet than Ivan Perisic. The ability from Perisic to run up and down the pitch consistently for 90 minutes is mind-blowing. I can’t remember another player who makes it look so effortless.
In saying that, Gosens is not too far behind Perisic when healthy. I remember watching Atalanta games where it felt like Gosens was everywhere on the field. If there was an interception, a counter-attack or a defensive challenge it was all Gosens leading the way.
The only question mark that has been put over Gosens is in relation to his recent injuries. Sure, he has had a bad run of hamstring strains which has kept him out for most of this season. However, before that he was a consistent performer for Atalanta barely missing any games.
Also, if we can think back to when Perisic was signed for Inter the same things were said. The doubters would say “Perisic is great, but he struggles to stay on the pitch”. It was definitely true as Perisic was available for squad selection in only half of his time at Wolfsburg.
Since then though, Perisic has been fit as a fiddle so there must be something special about the water being supplied at Inter.
Attack –
In regards to the attacking contributions, there is no doubt that Gosens is more of a threat.
If we look back at the 2020/21 season, Robin Gosens had the most goals for a fullback in all the top leagues. For goals plus assists, he was equal with Hakimi on 17 and we all know how fantastic of a season Hakimi had.
Unfortunately, Gosens has only played 6 matches this season so Perisic is currently outperforming him as Perisic has played in almost every match.
As we know, Ivan Perisic has turned back the clock this season and is arguably in the form of his life. He’s already contributed 4 goals in Serie A, which is the same amount he scored last season.
These numbers may not be on the same scale as Gosens unfortunately, but it’s exactly what this Inter team needs.
From an attacking point of view, Gosens is the best at what he does so let’s hope he can get fit soon.
Defence –
I can’t fault Perisic as he is the perfect wingback with his defensive responsibilities. Considering he was a player (when Conte first took over) who did not want to defend, it’s incredible to see the transformation of Perisic.
It must’ve been during his time at Bayern he learned the team is more important than a single player. Everyone on the team must do a job for there to be success.
Since returning to Inter, Perisic has saved so many goals with his defensive contributions. The ability to track back even when Bastoni or De Vrij have lost their man has really added another dimension to this defence.
If we look over at Atalanta’s side, the coaches tactics are completely different to Inter. Gasperini has the mentality that we’ll score more goals than you, and Gosens has been such an important chess piece to that way of thinking.
From a defensive point of view, I would say that Gosens tracks back from time to time, but sometimes he is so far up the pitch that it’s almost impossible for him to help out the defence.
Under Inzaghi, we may see a different player evolve as Gosens could swap positioning from time to time with either Bastoni or even Dzeko upfront. This will add another element to an already diverse Inter side.
Personal opinion –
I could be completely wrong, but the initiative to sign Gosens while there are contract renewal issues with Perisic tells me that Perisic is going.
I just don’t see Perisic playing second fiddle, and vice-versa with Gosens. They’ll both want to be the number one selection on the pitch in the big matches.
It’s not an ego problem, it’s more that both players would walk straight in to a majority of teams fighting for titles. So they’ll feel underwhelmed if they aren’t contributing to the team they know they can.
Especially when you have international players starting for their respective countries – Germany and Croatia.
It would’ve been great to see Perisic stay more seasons, but this signing makes it difficult. Also, we need to remember that Kostic is another who has been heavily linked with Inter playing in the left-back position.
So as time goes by it seems that Perisic leaving in June is becoming more likely.
As always, Forza Inter!
