Inter played Udinese in what was a very important game in regards to keeping the Champions League dream alive. Spalletti lined up slightly differently today out of the back which saw Ranocchia slot in for Miranda. A long side him the Inter world was finally given a chance to see Dalbert start again from the beginning which seems to provide a lot to Inter’s game that the other left backs just can’t seem to get going for them. The midfield saw Borja Valero and Brozovic line up in the defensive midfielder roles while the rest of the team filled up with the regular starters.
What the addition of Dalbert is able to do is to really stretch the game wider than D’Ambrosio and Santon. The game doesn’t only become wider but the switches are quicker because while Santon and D’Ambrosio have to take a touch with their dominant right foot and either move wide or cut central Dalbert can take the touch on his dominant left foot and strive into space. This saves precious seconds on a counter attack for example, once the first touch is pushed around the opposing defender, Dalbert has the choice to carry or use his central options while Inters other alternative left backs usually cut to make that central pass or force that unlikely week foot cross which sometimes demoralizes the team after to many failed attempts.
In regards to the Inter’s front half, once again, Brozovic was the absolute anchor giving everything until the 90th minute to be able to secure the victory even though it didn’t look for one minute that the team would slip up. Everything went well even in front of Brozovic which saw Icardi come in deep to hold up the ball and distribute out wide to his wingers or for Rafinha to carry the ball forward. Inters success has come in the games where Icardi gets involved more whether he’s scoring or just generally involved in turning the ball. The only thing that’s certain is a participating Icardi nearly always leads to a dominant Inter.
What’s important to notice about this game is that even though Udinese are a team fighting against relegation, the fact that Inter was able to consistently, for 90 minutes, dominate is something that is coming along with time very well. Inter always struggled with dropping points to lower or middle table teams and games like today are very reassuring to the club. It’s days like Sunday’s that make the Champions League drive live on and with the result, the dream very much, lives on too.
