Inter - Liverpool (16 Feb 22) [0-2]

Neroazzurr4

Primavera
Primavera
Joined
Mar 5, 2017
Messages
363
Likes
461
Favorite Player
NotCuntrado
Friends invited me to watch this match together....so much for what kind of match (and result) awaits us on Wednesday night
 

.h.

Part time Lazarus
La Grande Inter
Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
29,234
Likes
7,252
Favorite Player
Inter1-0Wanda
Old username
browha
Forum Supporter
10 years of FIF
Tbh there's no legal leeway for it to be 1 match it would be minimum 2
 

Stefan

La Grande Inter
La Grande Inter
Joined
Mar 4, 2004
Messages
23,999
Likes
4,723
Favorite Player
Zanetti
Forum Supporter
10 years of FIF
You don't argue the facts, you try to reduce the ban to a 1 game. But anyways doesn't matter now.
You need some real mitigating circumstances to argue. If there were any we would have appealed. We appealed the Bologna game and bastoni 2 game ban, this management does stand up for our rights.
 

Il Drago

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
20,765
Likes
32,463
Favorite Player
Wesley Sneijder
Best Football Poster
Best Overall Poster
Generally, when these European upsets occur it is the result of one or a combination of factors including getting caught on the counter, a moment of individual brilliance from a skilled player, a defensively resolute team performance, or simply rising to the occasion.

From what I've seen, this team is utterly devoid of any of these things.

We have ZERO pace. If you timed every single player of ours in a 100m sprint, our squad would be in the lowest 1 percentile in Europe. Teams do not need to fear us hurting them on the counter because we are utterly incapable of doing so.

Likewise, we have such little flair in this squad that the chances of us creating something out of nothing is exceedingly slim. At any moment in the game, Salah can beat his man with drop of a shoulder and curl one into the far post. Who is even capable of that in this squad? Sanchez? Calhanoglu?... Lmaotaro? :yao:

The last two games against Milan and Napoli (even for moments against Roma) have also shown a worrying decline in our defence. Much of that is on De Vrij who looks fucking finished but Skriniar was putting on his own clown show at Naples too. Moreover, the trend is that under Inzaghi, this team can not simply close shop and defend a lead. The inability to counter attack certainly contributes to this. Regardless, every time this team has tried to defend a result, it has failed. The less said about Handanovic the better.

Finally, the mentality.. just lol. As I've pointed out ad nauseum, this team lost their mental edge when Conte left and the proof is in the pudding.

We've played 9 games across the league and CL against the big teams. 1 win, 5 draws, 3 losses. That is utterly pathetic and incompatible with a team aiming to be champions.

If you analyse closely, it gets even worse. In numerous games we dropped points from a winning position (Milan twice, juve, Atalanta). We also played our full-strength team against an injury ravaged Atalanta (yet failed to win or even score) and lost to a Milan B team missing both their first choice defenders, plus Ibrahimovic and Rebic.

That indicates to me that this team can not lift their game in the big occasions. Every time this abysmal big game record is brought up, someone argues that we dominated Milan or juve or Real Madrid for 45 or 60 minutes. Even when we do dominate for long periods of the game, what is the fucking point if you just shit your pants and can't hold your nerve until the end? That is the literal definition of being chokers.

I'll watch the game - as I have every game this season and as I did every game during our 9th place finish under Stramala - and I'll hope and support the team as usual, but the evidence is not in our favour. I see nothing wrong with acknowledging the evidence and basing my expectations upon it.
I agree. Re defence, i believe it's a mistake to blame it solely on individuals. Sure De Vij is having a poor season and Skriniar had his worst performance of the season in Naples but it goes far beyond than individual mistakes and performances. It's a collective problem that's clear for everyone to see whenever we fail to defend a lead. It's a combination of the lack of pacy players in the squad, which make our counter attacks toothless, and the big difference in quality between our starting midfielders and our bench options. Whenever Inzaghi takes off one of the midfielders in the big games we immediately lose midfield battle and we resort to passive defence.

If you can't counter attack and you can't hold the ball in midfield then conceding a goal is only a matter of time.
 

brehme1989

La Grande Inter
La Grande Inter
Joined
Jan 17, 2005
Messages
34,404
Likes
17,027
10 years of FIF
Nostradamus
Most Passionate Member
Problem with De Vrij is that we're playing in a way that doesn't highlight his presence with the ball and all lights are on him defensively. And our other CBs play wider than usual.
 

andrejZGB

Primavera
Primavera
Joined
Oct 31, 2019
Messages
330
Likes
328
Favorite Player
Barella
It's going to be very interesting match, I am most worried about our slow ball movement. Against Liverpool and their positional pressing ball has to move quickly to exploit spaces on the flanks that usually opens up, and if one of our attackers or midfielders join that side we could take advantage on that easily.

Džeko must play to give VVD a good fight, otherwise I can see VVD just dominating Alexis and Lautaro with his strength and pace.
Anyway don't be so pessimistic, I would say they are not as consitent as they were last few seasons, and are a team to beat but not unbeatable. We have quality and it is time that some players preform, and not shit their pants like against RM. We will create chances but who will finish them?
 

Gane

Primavera
Primavera
Joined
Dec 14, 2015
Messages
424
Likes
416
Favorite Player
Matrix
I think this is first time i'm really not expecting anything from our team, just cant see how we can win this. Hope they can surprise me.
 

ataturk5

Prima Squadra
Prima Squadra
Joined
May 10, 2007
Messages
750
Likes
67
Favorite Player
mancini is and
Well, we are simply being realistic. We are definitely not ready to beat a team like Liverpool and the timing of the game is awful. We are having hard time in Italy, two key players are missing the game (I don't believe that Inzaghi would risk Bastoni), so the chances are very slim.
Ok, fair enough, I just wish I was as confident we're going to win the tie as much as a lot of you are!
 

Stefan

La Grande Inter
La Grande Inter
Joined
Mar 4, 2004
Messages
23,999
Likes
4,723
Favorite Player
Zanetti
Forum Supporter
10 years of FIF
Inter have nothing to lose. LFC are favorites. There is no real pressure for Inter in this tie.
If LFC beat us people will say as expected.
Inter hasn't been here for more then a decade.
 

Harpsabu

Allenatore
Allenatore
Joined
Jun 19, 2011
Messages
8,307
Likes
5,816
Favorite Player
Diego Milito
10 years of FIF
RE the defence, perhaps I am judging what I've seen harsher than you are but I feel the stats are revealing, and not in a good way.

Out of 24 games, we've kept 10 clean sheets. Not bad, but those have come against Genoa (H), Empoli (A), Udinese (H), Venezia (A), Spezia (H), Roma (lol. A), Cagliari (H), Salernitana (A), Torino (H) and Atalanta (A).

That's only 3 clean sheets against teams in the top 10. The others have come against the three newly promoted teams, plus other relegation shitters like Genoa and Cagliari.

But it's the eye test which gives it away for me. Even before that reputation-ruining performance in the derby, de Vrij had been atrocious all season. Skriniar and Bastoni have also had shaky moments, like getting owned by Venezia's Henry of all players. I can't remember one good defensive performance against a big team this season. Maybe the second half against Napoli this week was OK?

The team simply does not look defensively solid. For me that's very visible in the way we win balls, close space and defend as a unit.

Is there ANYONE here who would feel comfortable about us sitting back and trying to defend a narrow, 1 goal lead for more than like.. 5 minutes? Even Torino and Venezia came to San Siro and made us sweat.

Anyway though, I'm not expecting a rout against Liverpool, but I'm expecting a near exact repeat of our first leg against Real Madrid. Same scoreline too.

In the first half we'll have a lot of the ball and make some decent chances, but our forwards will not be ruthless enough to finish their chances. Lautaro in particular will squander chances by shooting directly at Alisson instead of the wide open spaces on either side of him.

The game will then fall into a dull period where we sit back and waste possession with long balls, inviting Liverpool to attack us. We'll concede a goal around the 70th minute, probably from a marking lapse by de Vrij off an Alexander-Arnold cross.

We'll then attack in hopes of finding the equalizer but by that stage, Inzaghi will have taken off Lautaro for D'Ambrosio and Calhanoglu for Vidal. We will fail to create a single remotely dangerous chance in the extremely underwhelming and tame final 20 minutes. 0-1 Liverpool.
That's an optimistic prediction! I think Liverpool will press us high and dominate the ball.

We'll craft a few chances then Liverpool will fully take over around the 70th minute or so. Could see this being 2-0 quite easily for them.

Sawyer I love and admire your optimism lol but I just can't see it I'm afraid. We haven't shown nearly enough IMO. Not being able to beat that bullshit milan side. Plus, we can't live with speed at all and Liverpool have bags of it. Not looking forward to this
 

Eirix

Primavera
Primavera
Joined
Aug 4, 2020
Messages
394
Likes
184
Favorite Player
Il Imperatore
-------------------Handa--------------------
-----Dumbo-----Skriniar-------De Vrij------
Dumfries---Vidal---Brozo--Hakan----Perisic
--------------Dzeko-------Alexis-------------
 

kurt0411

Capitano
Capitano
Joined
Feb 27, 2017
Messages
2,967
Likes
925
-------------------Handa--------------------
-----Dumbo-----Skriniar-------De Vrij------
Dumfries---Vidal---Brozo--Hakan----Perisic
--------------Dzeko-------Alexis-------------
Lautaro should still start this game alongside Alexis. Van Dijk vs Dzeko will be like watching me vs Brehme in a football debate.
 
Top