Now that I've slept on it, yesterday's win tastes even sweeter. We bounced back in style from the lackluster game against Udinese and the dreadful CL debut, nipping on the bud any criticism from the media (who - as we know - never hold back when it comes to shitting on Inter). Kudos to Conte for the way he prepared (his men for) this derby. We totally dominated them, and only their proverbial luck - along with a few good saves from Donnarumma - prevented the score from getting really embarrassing. The key of our win was the way we occupied the field, defending and attacking as a unit against a team that, on the contrary, looked more like a bunch of individuals with no game plan to follow.
Our midfield had a field day, with Barella emerging as my MotM. The former Cagliari player was everywhere on the pitch, harassing every milanista within reach, tackling, winning back the ball, and then immediately pushing forward to participate in our attacks. That ball he curled straight onto Lukaku's head was a real cioccolatino (= chocolate candy) as we would say. As a Belgian, our striker could not but appreciate. What else to say? He definitely chose the perfect fixture for having his first great display on our jersey. Another player who shined yesterday was Brozovic, who returned to his usual standards after a couple of poor performances. Some of his switch of plays were world class. There's almost no need pointing out he once again outran everyone on the pitch (over 13km covered). Sensi was overall good, even though he made a couple of mistakes that could have cost us dearly. I think he's starting to get a bit tired and should probably be rested against Lazio.
The defence was brilliant today, completely shutting off milan's attack. There was a bit of ruckus after the game, with milan's cashier barging into our locker room demanding that Handanovic pay his spectator ticket, but other than that it was a rather tranquil evening. Godin was a boss all through the game, and seemed to be toying with milan's forwards towards the end. That's the only time he dropped his guard and Theo almost took advantage of it. De Vrij and Skriniar were solid and once again made Piatek their bitch. Asamoah was very good (as he has been so far during this season), running down the flank tirelessly. He made a brilliant last-ditch tackle to deny Suso on what was probably milan's best chance of the evening. As for D'Ambrosio, what else could possibly be said about il Danilone nazionale? He's not the most technically gifted player in the world, but he's aware of the privilege of playing for Inter. You can play him FB, CB, or even let him on the bench, he will never complain and always give his all for the team. His bicycle kick reminded me of this old masterpiece by Moriero. Too bad it didn't go in.
Our front two had a good game and benefitted from the constant support coming from the midfield. They were very involved in the build-up as well as in the defensive work. Lukaku had a good chance in the first half that was denied by Donnarumma, but found the back of the net on his first derby with a great header after burning Romagnoli. Lautaro didn't score, but he set his partner up for the aforementioned chance and nearly got one for himself in a couple of occasions. The play where he nutmegged Romagnoli before dribbling past Musacchio in one square metre was my play of the game. Had he scored that goal, the whole stadium would have probably crumbled down (thus settling the dispute between the city and the clubs on the necessity of its demolition). The only flaw on their performance is that sometimes they stand still in the middle of the box when one of their teammates breaks through from the flanks. They should work on their inside-the-box movements to give their teammates better passing options.
I have already praised Conte for the way he prepared and handled his first derby, so I will just conclude by saying that the subs were spot on. Candreva and Vecino did exactly what they were expected to (preserving the balance of the team and pushing forward each time the chance would arise), whereas Politano is slowly but steadily carving an impact sub role for himself. Entering the pitch when the other players are on their last legs, he can really wreak havoc with his constant burst of speed. Pity for that long range effort that hit the crossbar. It would have been some goal!
In conclusion, there's still plenty of work to do, but I believe we're on the right track and we can look at the future with a bit of optimism. Of course, we must not sit on the laurels after yesterday's win, but on the contrary work even harder to be prepared for the challenges ahead of us. [©Javier Zanetti]
Lastly, let me spend a couple of words about milan: fuck you! No, seriously, aside from a couple of instances when we let ourselves be caught on the counter, milan were rendered pretty much harmless by the combination of our tight defence and their general cluelessness. Their only shot on target was a fart from Piatek that bounced three times before reaching Handanovic. The Polish striker is clearly in a downward spiral, as is Paqueta. Suso and the battery of advanced mids at their disposal are still too inconsistent. Leao and Theo are the only two players who showed something yesterday, and Giampaolo should try to find a way to build something around them. That being said, they looked very poor this start of the season, and from what I've seen there are at least five teams that are clearly better than them. Weaseling their way back into Champions League won't be an easy task.
Our midfield had a field day, with Barella emerging as my MotM. The former Cagliari player was everywhere on the pitch, harassing every milanista within reach, tackling, winning back the ball, and then immediately pushing forward to participate in our attacks. That ball he curled straight onto Lukaku's head was a real cioccolatino (= chocolate candy) as we would say. As a Belgian, our striker could not but appreciate. What else to say? He definitely chose the perfect fixture for having his first great display on our jersey. Another player who shined yesterday was Brozovic, who returned to his usual standards after a couple of poor performances. Some of his switch of plays were world class. There's almost no need pointing out he once again outran everyone on the pitch (over 13km covered). Sensi was overall good, even though he made a couple of mistakes that could have cost us dearly. I think he's starting to get a bit tired and should probably be rested against Lazio.
The defence was brilliant today, completely shutting off milan's attack. There was a bit of ruckus after the game, with milan's cashier barging into our locker room demanding that Handanovic pay his spectator ticket, but other than that it was a rather tranquil evening. Godin was a boss all through the game, and seemed to be toying with milan's forwards towards the end. That's the only time he dropped his guard and Theo almost took advantage of it. De Vrij and Skriniar were solid and once again made Piatek their bitch. Asamoah was very good (as he has been so far during this season), running down the flank tirelessly. He made a brilliant last-ditch tackle to deny Suso on what was probably milan's best chance of the evening. As for D'Ambrosio, what else could possibly be said about il Danilone nazionale? He's not the most technically gifted player in the world, but he's aware of the privilege of playing for Inter. You can play him FB, CB, or even let him on the bench, he will never complain and always give his all for the team. His bicycle kick reminded me of this old masterpiece by Moriero. Too bad it didn't go in.
Our front two had a good game and benefitted from the constant support coming from the midfield. They were very involved in the build-up as well as in the defensive work. Lukaku had a good chance in the first half that was denied by Donnarumma, but found the back of the net on his first derby with a great header after burning Romagnoli. Lautaro didn't score, but he set his partner up for the aforementioned chance and nearly got one for himself in a couple of occasions. The play where he nutmegged Romagnoli before dribbling past Musacchio in one square metre was my play of the game. Had he scored that goal, the whole stadium would have probably crumbled down (thus settling the dispute between the city and the clubs on the necessity of its demolition). The only flaw on their performance is that sometimes they stand still in the middle of the box when one of their teammates breaks through from the flanks. They should work on their inside-the-box movements to give their teammates better passing options.
I have already praised Conte for the way he prepared and handled his first derby, so I will just conclude by saying that the subs were spot on. Candreva and Vecino did exactly what they were expected to (preserving the balance of the team and pushing forward each time the chance would arise), whereas Politano is slowly but steadily carving an impact sub role for himself. Entering the pitch when the other players are on their last legs, he can really wreak havoc with his constant burst of speed. Pity for that long range effort that hit the crossbar. It would have been some goal!
In conclusion, there's still plenty of work to do, but I believe we're on the right track and we can look at the future with a bit of optimism. Of course, we must not sit on the laurels after yesterday's win, but on the contrary work even harder to be prepared for the challenges ahead of us. [©Javier Zanetti]
Lastly, let me spend a couple of words about milan: fuck you! No, seriously, aside from a couple of instances when we let ourselves be caught on the counter, milan were rendered pretty much harmless by the combination of our tight defence and their general cluelessness. Their only shot on target was a fart from Piatek that bounced three times before reaching Handanovic. The Polish striker is clearly in a downward spiral, as is Paqueta. Suso and the battery of advanced mids at their disposal are still too inconsistent. Leao and Theo are the only two players who showed something yesterday, and Giampaolo should try to find a way to build something around them. That being said, they looked very poor this start of the season, and from what I've seen there are at least five teams that are clearly better than them. Weaseling their way back into Champions League won't be an easy task.
