We sit here on another weekday wondering; Where did it all go wrong for Inter and where do we go from here?
These are questions which must be stopping Mr. Conte from getting a good night’s sleep. Tossing, turning and having nightmares of Lautaro missing that open goal. You just can’t coach such simple mistakes like that!
Shakhtar a Champions League team? Really?
If you were a neutral watching this game, you would’ve been as thoroughly disappointed as Inter fans were.
There was only a couple of clear cut chances in a 0-0 draw, as only one team was interested in scoring a goal. The other team, who was the home side, was comfortable playing for a draw from minute 1′ it seemed.
In all defensive situations there was 10 Shakhtar players behind the ball, and they were comfortable with Inter holding possession trying to play on the counter. We’ve all seen teams do this away from home, but pretty disgraceful to play this way in front of your own fans!
The big worry – The Midfield –
The big worry – The midfield. The trio of Vidal, Brozovic and Barella worked very well in the first half with so much control and strength. The opposite would be said about the second half, where the midfield went completely missing.
The midfield space was filled with Shakhtar jerseys, and this forced Barella, Brozovic and Vidal to play deep and try to work the ball up. We could not break down the game, which meant that when Eriksen was subbed on he was a ghost. There was no chance for him to have any impact on the game.
We started kicking wide and kicking long which became very predictable for an all out defensive team in Shakhtar. Our tactics remained the same until minute 90′, and the midfield just felt like a black hole today.
Lady luck not on our side –
Just once I would love for a 50/50 decision to go Inter’s way. Every week we sit here thinking “when will the luck change?!”.
If the referee pointed to the spot for the challenge on Lukaku, then I’m sure VAR would’ve overturned the decision somehow.
In all fairness though, we are currently playing the same way the referee’s are treating us… INCONSISTENTLY!
Offensively worrying –
What do we do if Lukaku forgets his scoring boots at home? Well, we found out. We struggle to put the ball in the back of the net when he is off.
Lukaku had close to his worst game in an Inter shirt, and this all stems from the limited space he was provided. On occasions, Lukaku had three to four Shaktar players breathing down his neck.
He should’ve told them to give him some space because they were not social distancing! Our scoring ability is definitely a worry with Lautaro out of form and Sanchez currently injured.
A positive thought –
From Inter’s point of view, you can take some positivity out of keeping a clean sheet which is only Inter’s second in Champions League since 2011/12.
Especially since defensive blunders in matches have been Inter’s trend to begin the 2020/2021 season.
Where to next?
In the next match Inter are at home verse Parma. Parma currently sit one point above the relegation zone, but all of their four points have come away from home.
This is a match where Inter is expected to win pretty comfortably, but unfortunately our current form suggests this will be a close match.
Written by Matthew Pickham
