Inter Bolted By Lazio

Inter's goal heavy start to Serie A was halted in their first big match of the season at the Stadio Olimpico against Lazio. Lazio finished last season in third place but before lockdown, they looked like genuine contenders for the title. Inter's defeat last season at Stadio Olimpico to Lazio dealt a blow to our title aspirations. I badly wanted Inter to beat Lazio here to avenge that defeat.

Match Analysis The match was cagey. Lazio had better chances and more attempts on goal in the initial stages of the game while Inter had most of the possession. Inter scored with our first shot on goal and that changed the tide of the game in our favour. We dominated the game but hardly created much in terms of clearcut chances. We came close twice in the second half to score and those misses came back to haunt us. Lazio got their equaliser out of the blue. An inch-perfect cross came from an unlikely source, centre back, Francesco Acerbi for the previously anonymous Sergej Milenkovic-Savic. An irritating goal to concede because we didn't see it coming at all. Ivan Perisic on the back post didn't defend the cross well while Samir Handanovic should have done better in keeping the ball out.

Rising Temperature The game took a tempestuous turn when Ciro Immobile lashed out at Arturo Vidal from the ground. Vidal put in a hard tackle but there wasn't anything malicious in it. Immobile went down easily and Vidal approached him to admonish him for it. Immobile lashed out and Vidal milked it to get him sent off. The sending off was deserved but Vidal did what he needed to give his team an advantage. Typical Latin gamesmanship. Lazio retaliated in their way when Adam Marusic stood in front of little Stefano Sensi to stop him from taking a quick throw-in. Marusic milked a push to his shoulder by Sensi to fall to the ground and Sensi was sent off. It's crazy to think someone who towered over another could fall to the ground so easily from a slight push to his shoulder. The referee trying to level the playing field perhaps.

Two Points Dropped Or One Point Gained Inter couldn't find a winning goal and the closest we got was when Marcelo Brozovic's shot took a wicked deflection and came off the foot of the post. Overall, it feels like two points dropped because we took the lead and were in control of most parts of it. But considering the opponents we faced, it wasn't a bad point to gain. While Conte's substitutions brought the three points home a fortnight ago, this match week he can be accused of being reactive as he waited to concede before bringing on the substitutes. Skriniar, Vidal & Lukaku Milan Skriniar produced the kind of high-level performance that we expect of him as he didn't let Immobile breathe. Vidal was superb. I was critical of the signing of Vidal but in two and a half matches, I can see why he was signed. I can see that he still hasn't lost his quality yet. Romelu Lukaku won the 2019–20 Europa League Player Of The Season Award but he didn't get a sniff at goal. His best work was done in holding up the ball to get his team-mates into the game. He was also guilty of one of the near misses in the second half.

Transfer Business Inter concluded our transfer business with the signing of Matteo Darmian, a versatile defender that can play on either flank or in central defence and has played under Antonio Conte for the national team. He will also be reunited with Ashley Young, Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, his former team-mates at Manchester United. Radja Nainggolan has stayed on despite expressing a desire to join Cagliari. I believe he will be at Conte's full disposal and do not doubt his professionalism. The team looks good for a title tilt and to not suffer in the other competitions. All Conte needs is to find the right balance in the team as the defence has looked exposed this season and the right mentality to win and see out matches.