Inter continue to showcase themselves as solid candidates to seal the scudetto after their impressive start of the campaign with seven points out of nine available in their first three outings against Genoa, Lecce, and Atalanta, having scored eight goals very early on in the season.
Although the Nerazzurri lacked their usual pace and sharpness in the first two fixtures, it was the 4-0 thrashing against La Dea that truly served as an indication that the Beneamata picked up from where they left off last season, as La Gazzetta dello Sport analyzes coach Simone Inzaghi’s 3-5-2 system, which seemed to have taken the opposition by storm.
The Nerazzurri stunned Atalanta with two goals in the first nine minutes, both goals coming from fluid and quick build-ups. The first goal involved eleven passes in which Henkrih Mkhitaryan , Benjamin Pavard, Matteo Darmian, and Marcus Thuram all combined on the right-hand side, in which the former goal-score broke the deadlock as his pass to Lautaro deflected off of Djimsiti into the back of the net past shot-stopper Marco Carnassechi.
The former Bayern Munich defender made continuous runs forward and kept creating fine passing sequences with Darmian and Mkhitaryan on the right, continuously pushing forward on the flank as Alessandro Bastoni usually does on the opposite end.
The midfield was dynamic as both Mkhitaryan and the protagonist Nicolo Barella, who fired a nominee for best goal of the season with a venomous volley into the back of the net to double the Nerazzurri’s lead, acted like the conductors in an orchestra, constantly covering ground and dictating the pace of play.
The wing-backs exploited the width of the pitch as Dimarco and Darmian constantly distributed crosses in the box, the former Inter academy graduate often found alongside Thuram chasing the ball going forward towards goal.
Furthermore, Francesco Acrbi was heavily involved in the build-up, as the former Lazio player often found himself as a deep-lying midfielder, filling the role of Hakan Calhanoglu when he would make a vertical run. The veteran defender would coincide with Inzaghi’s preference of a high-land, serving as the link between the midfield and defence in-between the lines when moving forward in the offensive phase of the game.
Although it is still very early on, Simone Inzaghi is on the cusp of having his Nerazzurri side move full throttle into third gear after a superb win in which they scored four and conceded no goals to a solid Gian Piero Gasperini side. With the Champions League set to commence and the Milan Derby taking place in three weeks, Inter seek to continue on this fine run of form and fine-tune their 3-5-2 tactical set-up.
Julian Faustini Ι GIFN
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