In the fixture, Inter took on Bologna at home in what was finally the end of a two month winless streak that saw them take 5 straights draws before being able to pick up full points. There was a lot of positivity to take out of todays game especially in regards to the take ons that proved to be so crucial in todays victory. Spalletti made a very interesting tactical decision that basically decided the entire game. It was the first time in months that the team was able to show that they have what it takes and that they truly are competitors and that they didn’t just go on a lucky win streak at the beginning of the season.
Spalletti benched Candreva today which was only a logical decision but the interesting decision is that instead of pushing Brozovic out wide like he usually does, he decided to give Karamoh his opportunity which payed off. What Karamoh is able to bring to the wing that Brozovic can’t is his ability to take on his man. Spalletti decided to give Cancelo the right back position over D’Ambrosio consciously knowing that the production level on that right hand side would be overwhelming. The dynamic right wing pairing are more likely to produce than D’Ambrosio and Candreva because they’re a pairing that don’t like to take their chances on the one on ones which is what you need when you’re team is in a game winning drought.
Today, Brozovic had a very poor game, he wasn’t up to circulating the ball, his movement wasn’t up to par, but most importantly as an attacking midfielder your main job is to link the team together, everything passes by that player. Thats just to much responsibility for Brozovic considering he’s a player who performs in burst instead of at more of a constant pace. Rafinha should be the starting attacking midfielder because he’s able to open up space for himself before the distribution, and he most definitely is able to link the team together better than Brozovic. Spalletti also introduced Lisandro Lopez at half time in place of Miranda who’s error caused the Bologna goal. It’s unclear whether Spalletti’s decision to substitute Miranda was due to injury or if it was because of his error, but if it was credited to that, that’s a very harsh punishment.
To conclude, the rebirth of Inter due to Spalletti showed the world that he’s not scared to utilize the bench, a critic that has been surrounding the coach for many years. The only thing left is to form Rafinha to be able to play a full 90 minutes. The addition of Icardi next week will only enhance the depth and capabilities of the new creativity Spalletti has given his players which would surely see the poacher on the finishing end of a decisive pass.
