Do you guys think it's a coincidence we got back on top of the table when we finally unleashed our dynamic duo Vecino-Gagliardini in midfield? Yeah, me too.
Seriously, we certainly don't like it nice and easy, do we? Once again, we showed that we can only do well when we go full throttle as even the slightest drop in intensity (both mental and physical) can get us into trouble. We can't control the game for shit, and that's a problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Anyway, we won, they didn't, we got back on top (despite Conte's advice). Let's just breath a sigh of relief and start focussing on the next game.
Lautaro was the MotM, not for the goals, but rather for the incredible work he's done. Once again, it felt like he was everywhere on the pitch, fighting and harassing SPAL's players but, more importantly, giving you the vibe that anything could happen every time he was on the ball. He's turning into a top-notch modern forward. Today I especially liked his header for the 2-0, which was clearly one of his weaknesses until recently. He should have buried that 1vs1 in the second half and put the game to bed, though. Lukaku was excellent today. He didn't get to score, but the work he did at the service of Lautaro (and the team in general) was great. His link up play was on point, he bullied his opponents quite regularly throughout the game (good thing he's started to realise how to use his physical prowess without getting a foul called against him), contributed to both goals, and provided a fantastic first-time assist that should silence those who still blabber about his lack of technique*.
The only midfielder who looked competent today was - surprise, surprise - Brozovic. The Croatian had a good game, engineering all our attacks in the first half, and putting on a solid defensive performance in the second. Considering the incompetence of the players that surround him at the moment, one could almost say he held the midfield together all by himself. Vecino had once again one of his trademark game: invisible and irrelevant for large chunks of it, with the occasional, almost random involvement in an offensive play that almost turn him into the hero of the day. Gagliardini, on the other hand, is the personification of the Italian saying vorrei ma non posso (= "I'd like, but I can't"). Every time I watch him play, I get the impression that he always knows what he's supposed to do, but just can't put it in practice. Borja was subbed in to slow down things a bit and did what was asked of him. I suspect he's going to play against Roma, so we need him at the top of his game.
The WBs were OK, I guess. Their first half was good, as they managed to beat their men quite comfortably and to put very interesting crosses into the box. Lazaro played well on the left flank, which was a bit of a surprise for me, while Candreva confirmed that he's actually a good player so long that he sticks to the game plan (and there's someone on the bench giving him one). The second half was tougher, of course, as we let Spal take control and crawl back into the game, but I'd say they held their own. Biraghi did his bit at the end, taking the place of a tired Lazaro.
As for the defence, the first half was a walk in the park, whereas the second was a bit more tricky. Skriniar let himself being dribbled past way too softly on their goal, but also had a vital clearance to his name. I think to goal we conceded still makes him the poorest of the three for this evening, even though I must admit that I didn't pick up who missed the ball between de Vrij and D'Ambrosio on that occasion that saw a SPAL player waste a glorious chance in front of Handanovic. The Slovene had no responsibility whatsoever on the goal and was solid whenever called into action. Godin was subbed on to shut the door against their final assault and carried out his task with the usual garra.
* Won't happen, though.