Almost one year has passed since that infamous night in Florence in which Inter were battered out of sight by a rampant Viola. Inter have a different coach, some different players but once again found themselves as massive underdogs entering this fixture. One could have benn forgiven for thinking that Walter Mazzarri’s press conference on Friday was that of a coach who believed his side were beaten before the game even kicked off. Mind games, a cautious approach whatever it was, it worked. Mazzarri’s players showed an excellent attitude from the very first minute. They played with purpose, desire and a sense of urgency that has been sorely missed during a wretched start to 2014.
Let’s not sugar coat this, Inter HAD to show a reaction after a miserable showing in Turin earlier this month coupled with a run of uninspiring performances throughout 2014. Once again Walter Samuel was magnificent, getting this beast of a man back has been absolutely key for the Nerazzurri in the last two weeks. Whether directing others or throwing himself in front of opponents shots, Samuel is having a renaissance for Inter when Mazzarri and his side need it most. In fact the backline in general have done very little wrong in successive games, unfortunately the same can’t be said for their normally reliable goalkeeper Samir Handanovic. Anybody who has watched Inter over the last 18 months knows what an exceptional goalkeeper Handanovic is but he is not performing at the levels we have seen previously. He should have kept Cuadrado’s equaliser out and looked nervous on many occasions throughout the second half. Inter will be hoping that form is temporary and class is permanent for their number one shot stopper.
I could go through the whole side and point to a list of positives, from the flourishing partnership of Hernanes and Guarin in central midfield to the penetrating runs from Nagatomo until he finally ran out of steam near the end. Rodrigo Palacio was a constant threat and despite not being decisive on this occasion Diego Milito showed some improvement on last week’s efforts. The final word can of course only go to one man, ridiculed for his off the pitch antics this is the Mauro Icardi all Interisti have been waiting for. The finish was beautiful and his impact on the match was undeniable. Walter Mazzarri and all involved will of course keep the players feet on the ground but the improvement is undeniable and let us all hope that last years beating and the awful start to this year is now firmly in the rear view mirror.
Avanti cosi ragazzi…….
