I know that it is a bit late, but I wanted to share my thoughts on our game against Brescia.
Perhaps the starting point for this post is to acknowledge the special performances of three players: Valero, Sanchez and Moses. I am not a fan of Borja. For a long time, I have been calling for him to be shipped out and for Inter to find a replacement. It is hard for me to say this but Borja was awesome against Brescia. On countless occassions, he was leading the charge in midfield and was well up to speed with our game. I lost count of the amount of times he was pressing and pushing forward, leading the line and wanting to be involved in our game. One thought I had while watching is that he shoudl not be scared to have a crack. There were a few times when he had the chance to shoot but elected to pass it off. The other thought i had in relation to Valero was when he was running forward and I found myself thinking “Valero’s turned back the sands of time and is actually playing with pace and urgency!”
I thought the match against Brescia was Moses best game for Inter. When he is in full flight, he is great to watch. His overlapping play and the manner in which he made himself available for his teammates was fantastic. And most of his crosses caused problems for Brescia’s defence. There were a couple of occasions when he slowed down the play and delayed in putting in a cross but he was great to watch and crucial to our result.
And then there is Sanchez. I have kind of been caught in two minds in relation to Sanchez. In one way, I feel he has not been very convincing and that he should simply be allowed to return to Manchester United. But in another way, I feel that he has had limited opportunities due to injury and should be given a real chance to show what he can do. Sanchez played a full game and did not stop. He understood that he was leading our attack and played accordingly. More than anything, I was impressed with his work rate and effort and some of the short passes and interplay between our players around the box was breathtaking.
What do all of the abovementioned players have in common? They are playing for their respective Inter futures and perhaps have realised that they really need to step up if they are to have any hope of staying of the club. For Valero, I think it is probably too late. He is too old for a contract extension and Inter need to find a replacement that can offer something more. Having said that, I would not be complaining if he continued in this vain until the end of the season.
Sanchez and Moses are in a different boat. I have read rumours in recent days that Manchester United are not keen to extend Sanchez beyond the end of Serie A because they want him to be available for the Europa League. They firmly believe that they are going to advance and might cross paths with Inter and if that is the case, they want Sanchez playing for them rather than Inter. As for him staying for a further season on loan or a permanent move, his wages are the major stumbling block. If he continues as he did against Brescia, I would be happy for his loan to be extended or for him to stay. I guess the other issue is how much he will play given that the only reason he played was because Lukaku was being rested.
As for Moses, I am not sure how things are going to turn out for him and where Chelsea stand. With Hakimi coming in next season, Moses’ playing time would be limited and we would also have Candreva. Moses biggest issue is consistency. In some games, his performances have been pedestrian or his impact has been limited. In other games, he has entered the field and made a real difference. Ideally, I would like for him to start in front of Candreva for the remainder of the season but I am not sure how realistic that is.
A few other thoughts: I thought Bastoni was awesome on the left. He anticipated the game well and I felt he got more forward and went deeper than usual. His composure and the way he anticipated the game against Brescia were great and I absolutely loved his crosses on the left. The goal he scored against Parma appears to have given him greater confidence and he has been one of the stories of season 2020.
I am not sure if Conte ripped into the team following our performances against Sassuolo and Parma or whether the manner in which we played was down to Brescia being so poor. I think it may be a combination of both. But the best thing about the result against Brescia was the intensity, desire and interplay. In terms of play, this is the ideal to which we all want our team to play: determined, controlling and relentless until the final whistle.
And right now, the only questions that remain following the result against Brescia are what version of the team are we going to against Bologna? And are we consistent enough to try and keep it going?
