Inter continued their resurgence under Stefano Pioli as they came from behind to beat Chievo 3-1 in Serie A action on Saturday before taking down Bologna 3-2 in the Coppa Italia three days later.
The streaking Nerazzurri have won seven straight games in all competitions, including five league matches in a row, and are finally blossoming into the squad that most pundits predicted would challenge for a Champions League berth.
Inter dominated the first 68 minutes against Chievo but still found themselves down 1-0 before Mauro Icardi redirected Antonio Candreva’s wonderful cross past Stefano Sorrentino to level matters.
The Nerazzurri have had a penchant for scoring late goals this season and the trend continued as Ivan Perisic fired past Sorrentino in the 86th minute before Eder placed a shot in the bottom corner moments later to secure another victory.
Despite their winning run Inter are six points behind Napoli in the race for the final Champions League spot and Pioli – the architect behind Inter’s renaissance -revealed there is still a long way to go for his squad.
“We’ve worked hard but we’re only at the beginning of our journey,” he told RAI Sports. “We have to chase down the teams in front of us and think about winning as many matches as possible.”
The Nerazzurri hosted Bologna in the Coppa Italia and jumped out to a 2-0 lead after a wonderful overhead kick from Jeison Murillo and a smart finish from Rodrigo Palacio. However, the Nerazzurri fell asleep at the wheel and needed an extra-time winner from substitute Antonio Candreva to advance to the quarterfinals.
Here’s what we’ve learned from Inter over the past seven days:
1. Gagliardini looks like the real deal
Gagliardini officially joined the club on Jan. 11 and was thrust into a starting role just three days later, which was reminiscent of Wesley Sneijder’s debut for Inter in the Derby della Madonnina in 2009.
Gagliardini followed up his impressive performance against Chievo with another solid showing in the Coppa Italia and although it’s only been a small sample size, the 22-year-old looks to be money well spent.
His flair and vision were on full display as was his ability to consistently make the right decision on the ball. Inter finally have the intelligent box-to-box midfielder they have been lacking for years.
2. Pioli has all the right moves
Pioli found his team a goal down against Chievo despite controlling the majority of the match, but he did not panic and introduced Eder, Ever Banega and Palacio into the fold and the trio would play an instrumental role in the comeback.
Pioli then had another decision to make after seeing his team blow a two-goal lead against Bologna and responded by throwing Candreva into the mix and the Italian international scored the winner in extra time.
Pioli has his finger on the pulse of the squad and his decisions have reflected that fact. The team is responding to his motivational tactics and the best could be yet to come.
3. Icardi is leading by example
There is a preconceived notion floating around that Icardi is ‘just’ a goalscorer but for those who actually follow the team closely know that there is more to the Inter captain’s game than bulging the old onion bag.
He did score the all-important equalizer against Chievo, but it was another sequence, which showed his value to the team. Icardi tracked back near the center circle to win the ball before setting up Perisic for what turned out to be the winner.
That type of effort doesn’t make the highlight shows but it rubs off on his teammates, who are pressuring the ball at a rate not seen under Frank de Boer.
4. Kondogbia proving doubters wrong
Kondogbia seemed poised to join a Premier League club in the winter transfer window after being banished to the bench under De Boer but the Frenchman has morphed into Patrick Vieira in the last two weeks.
Kondogbia is enjoying a consistent run in the squad under Pioli and is repaying the Italian manager’s faith with some powerhouse performances.
He has excelled alongside Gagliardini – the two have already forged a mutual understanding in midfield – and is showing the form, which made him a coveted prospect with Monaco.
5. Ansaldi is not Inter material
There was hope is some private quarters that Cristian Ansaldi would be the answer to Inter’s fullback problem but it’s painfully obvious that the 30-year-old is not up to the task.
He did enjoy his best spell in an Inter jersey in the first 20 minutes against Chievo which showed he does have some of the attributes necessary to be viable full-back before reverting to his factory settings for the remainder of the game.
He was even worse against Bologna and drew the ire of the San Siro faithful and teammates alike when one of his crosses woefully missed the mark in the second half. Ansaldi can be a serviceable backup when injury strikes but he shouldn’t be the starting fullback on a team with Champions League aspirations.
