Victory Snatched Away From Inter
Inter’s win over Juventus last season was seen as one of the most important results of the season as it gave the team belief in their quest for the Scudetto. The reunion of their hostilities this time came a bit early in the season but for both teams, it was vital to pick up three points as they try and keep pace with Milan and Napoli on top. There was also a matter of pride to play for as always when these two teams meet. Juventus’ Leonardo Bonucci stoked the flames pre-game by suggesting that Inter’s Scudetto win last season owed more to his team’s mistakes rather than the merit of Inter. There wasn’t much of a response from the Inter camp, but I am sure they wanted to prove him wrong on the pitch.
Right Tactics
After being involved in some open matches this season, I felt tactically Inter and Simone Inzaghi were set up well to neutralise Juventus and dominate the game. The only pity is that Inter didn’t create enough chances to capitalise on the dominance. The goal we scored was the result of a moment of skill by Hakan Calhanoglu, thankfully the ball fell nicely for Edin Dzeko to tap it into an open goal.
Didn’t Finish Off The Game
I always felt Inter had to get a second goal to seal the game as they did in the reverse fixture. Juventus don’t need to play well and can score at any moment to change the game. Inter were not only playing against the team physically, but they were also playing against a mentality too. Also, in the last match against Lazio, we did not capitalise on our dominance before the match was overturned on its head. There were three pivotal moments to get the second goal but we didn’t. The first was in the first half when Calhanoglu’s ball found Dzeko in between the two centre backs. Instead of heading across for a team-mate in a good position, he headed meekly towards the goal. Next was when Ivan Perisic dispossessed Juan Cuadrado in his half, ran to the Juventus goal but blazed the shot over. Finally, Matteo Darmian had a cross-shot that was unfortunately not controlled by Dzeko in the box.
Minor Details Missing
I felt we sat back too soon in the second half and should have looked to kill off the game early in the second half. Defensively, the showing was an improvement and it was a pity to give away a penalty late in the game. It felt like a soft penalty to give away but it is what it is even if it sticks in your throat. It’s a bit of ifs and buts in some of our recent matches, Federico Dimarco’s miss penalty against Atalanta, losing the lead against Lazio and now this. These are minor details that have alluded us and I hope things even out as the season progresses. In the immediate future, we need six points from our next two matches.
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