Wasteful Inter

Inter were restrained in a very frustrating 0-0 draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk in their second Champions League group stage match. This was a repeat of last season’s Europa League semi-final which Inter won very comfortably 5-0.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40xB69wa21M&feature=onebox

Inter’s Dominance

Like in the semi-final in August, Inter were the dominant team. They nullified the threat of Shakhtar’s speedy, young and technical forwards and put the pressure on their opponents. We ended the game with more shots on target, on goal and in possession but had nothing to show for it.

Frustration

Shakthar was playing a compact, high line of defence allowing Inter possession and we turned the squeeze on them. We were guilty of missing some gilt-edged chances, Romelu Lukaku’s first chance was saved and from the follow-up, Nicolo Barella’s superb volley crashed off the bar. Lautaro Martinez then missed an absolute sitter to epitomise his performance. Lukaku showed an ability nobody thought he had, taking free-kicks. He hit an excellent effort but was denied by Shakthar’s teenage goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin tipping it onto the bar. 

What frustrated me more than the chances spurned was the breakdown in the final pass and cross in the final third. Achraf Hakimi, a shining light this season, produced arguably his worst performance in the Inter shirt. Lukaku wasn’t quite on top of his game and he is only human. He can have a slightly off-day. Which is when someone else has to rise in the team and unfortunately, his strike-partner, Martinez is off the boil at the moment.

As the match wore on, the intensity and energy in the team dropped. At times the approach was far too patient as we try and deliver the right pass to unlock the Shakthar defence. That didn’t work and poured oil onto the fire of frustration. To sum up our night, a penalty claim for a pull on Romelu Lukaku was waved off. On another night, that would have been given.

Substitutions

Antonio Conte has shown the ability to make or break a game by his substitutions. This game I felt he introduced the substitutes too late. Martinez was out of sorts and Alexis Sanchez was injured. He risked by bringing on Ivan Perisic instead of a natural striker in Andrea Pinamonti. It wasn’t a vindicated risk. Pinamonti was finally brought on with five minutes left. That shows the lack of faith and trust Conte has on Pinamonti to affect a change in the game. Christian Eriksen, always a source of much debate among fans and pundit could have changed the game with his creativity had he been brought on earlier. He came on and made no difference to the game, hardly getting many touches on the ball. With performances like that, Conte is justified for leaving him on the bench more often than starting him. Eriksen looks like a pale shadow of his former self and since he has joined, he has looked low on energy. He still looks like a poor fit for this Inter team and he could be on his way out if things don’t change between now and the January transfer window.

Tricky Group & The Pressure Is On

I have always felt that this group is complicated. The obvious big names are Real Madrid and Inter but Borussia Monchengladbach and Shakthar Donetsk are no pushovers. In two games, we have got two draws and in both games, we have felt regret at not getting more from both games because we deserve more. However, we don’t always get what we deserve. We need to earn our luck. We have made mistakes and been wasteful. The pressure is on Antonio Conte and the team as long as we don’t get out of this semi-rut. There has been some improvement at least with two consecutive clean sheets.