Strong Response From The Champions

If this morning’s Fiorentina vs Inter was played at the back end of the season, it would bode well for Inter in terms of their quest of retaining the Scudetto and adding a second star to their crest. Nevertheless, it was a strong response from a poor first-half. Over the seasons, we have seen Juventus respond in similar clinical and strong fashion when they are losing or not playing well. I have just looked on in envy and respect but this morning, my team showed similar resolve and quality and I feel proud.


Off The Pace In The First Half

Inter was struggling to get to grips with Fiorentina in the first-half. Fiorentina pressed us aggressively high up the pitch, they were sharp, moved well with pace and passed the ball quickly. The tactic of pressing us high so that we are not able to build moves from the back and our midfielders don’t have time on the ball was used with varied success previously by Hellas Verona and Sampdoria as well. The pace of our game played into Fiorentina’s strategy as we were too slow in possession. Our captain and goalkeeper, Samir Handanovic has been heavily criticised for making mistakes or not moving enough to save shots but he was immense in keeping the score down as we could have been easily 2 or 3-nil down in the first half. Milan Skriniar has had some immense games recently but was off his game in the first half as was Stefan de Vrij. It was hard to name one Inter player that played well in the first half.

Strong Second Half Response

The second half started in similar fashion but there were signs that we were growing in the game from the last 10 minutes of the first half. We were passing the ball faster with one-touch passes and better movement. I had thought we would make at least one change at half-time to introduce more pace in the team but Simone Inzaghi resisted. He finally relented and was about to bring on the pace of Denzel Dumfries and Alexis Sanchez when Matteo Darmian completed a good team move to score our equaliser. Hakan Calhanoglu’s corner deliveries were awful in the first half and he got it right for our second goal. His performance like the rest of the team improved in the second half. The second goal we scored through Edin Dzeko was crucial as it allowed us to control the game and take the sting out of the game. After that, we could have scored more but we squandered chances before finally scoring the third with 3 minutes to go.



Long Term Solution Needed For High Press

Overall, a very strong response but we need to find a solution to being pressed high and we need to start games with a higher tempo. Next one will be another tough one; Atalanta at home, another team that will offer similar challenges to Fiorentina.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Italy, The Tragedies

Image
USA 94 USA 94 and Italy’s USA 94 team will forever hold a special place in my heart. USA 94 was the first World Cup I watched and there were some memorable games and players from this tournament. Italy’s progress just fell short of being a feel-good Hollywood film. It was sweet until we met a tragic end. This was also a tournament where my all-time favourite player, Roberto Baggio was at the peak of his powers. Italy made it out of the group stage by the skin of the teeth as one of the best third-placed qualifiers. Baggio entered the tournament as the best player in the world but was below-par. He chose the right time to rise as all special players do, scoring the equaliser two minutes before the end in the Second Round match against Nigeria. Italy clicked into gear after that with Baggio back at his best, playing the heroic role. He scored the late winner against Spain in the quarter-final and two great goals in Italy’s best performance of the tournament in the semi-final against Bulg...
Read more

Manchester Bore Draw

Image
A trend is emerging this season involving Manchester United and big games in the Premier League. I am afraid the effects of that crushing 6-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur has meant a change in tack in approaching these games. In three games after that hammering, we have scored zero goals and conceded once. All three games have been dour, tentative and cagey. The focus is to protect the defence first and foremost before going forward. If we go forward and nick a goal, all good, otherwise the team is happy to keep a clean sheet and draw. Not A Good Point To Gain As a fan, it is frustrating to watch. It’s a throwback to Jose Mourinho days where we defended deep, went forward in hope rather than with a defined strategy. This I feel is a regression in our approach from last season where we did quite well in the big matches. I am not buying the argument that this is a good point to gain. It would have been if we were injury-hit, coming into the game in terrible form or were just not good en...
Read more

Under Pressure United

Image
Under Pressure – that’s a song from the British rock group, Queen featuring David Bowie and that is probably what Ole Gunnar Solksjaer is feeling right now after another poor performance and result yesterday against Leicester City. One win in 5 games across all competitions for the Red Devils is not acceptable form. Manchester United’s long inconsequential run of unbeaten away matches is over and just as well I say. Inconsequential because it didn’t lead us to any silverware. The team and manager were already under pressure before the international break and this defeat has intensified that pressure on United. Midfield Pairing Not Working No matter which centre-midfield pairing the manager puts out, it is easily bypassed; Fred, Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba have all got a run in the centre of the park but no one can exert control there. In the last 5 matches, I have seen Aston Villa, Villareal, Everton and now Leicester City overrun and outplay us in midfield. Defen...
Read more