Not starting to play until the last 25 minutes of the game is starting to become a very bad habit for this season’s Inter.
It seems that whenever Erick Thohir comes to see Inter, the team does everything it can to put him to sleep in the stands. This game was no exception. The positive thing to take away from the game was the clean sheet. The rest is best forgotten.
The first ten minutes started in a timid and very Inter fashion (of late) lethargic mode, but at least Jonathan and the rest seemed to have understood that it is possible to hit early crosses into the box in search of Icardi. Sadly this was forgotten a few minutes later. Then I fell asleep with my eyes open I think and didn’t wake up until I heard my mother yelling “you son of a donkey, the goal is not in the third ring”. Short thereafter the first half was over. Inter had no shots on goal in the half, seventeen year old Scuffet in the Udinese goal was never bothered.
I was expecting a different Inter in the second half, hoping that Mazzarri would scream the team awake in the halftime break. Or at least give them each a red bull or five. But the second half started like the first one ended. The nerazzurri didn’t wake up until the 65th minute with a Hernanes shot that forced Scuffet to the first real intervention of the game and that was the spark that ignited the Inter side. After that chances were created and it wasn’t just aimless passing. But the ball won’t go in and remembering to shoot just the last minutes of the game won’t win you any games.
There are some very serious issues when Walter Samuel is the one who becomes responsible for finding opening passes, and the other two defenders seem desperate to find ways to attack. Where is the midfield? Guarin seems tired and distracted after receiving his contract extension and I cannot understand why Mazzarri doesn’t give him a breather and show Kovacic some confidence.
It is truly baffling that this Inter side that plays one game per week looks so tired and slow. Hernanes has had two games in a row where he doesn’t perform up to expectations and Inter suffers greatly. There is no one in the middle that steps up and takes on the role of a leader, looking for the ball and knows what to do with it offensively. It all looks haphazard, at first they tried it Mazzarri style; hitting in crosses from the flanks. When that didn’t work the ball was just lobbed in through the middle to nobody in particular. Lost.
Thohir has stated that everyone at Inter are under exam, and Mazzarri is no exception. He needs to find a solution and quick. When your game plan is so dependent on wingers, they need to be of a certain quality. If they aren’t then you need to adjust. If not you’ll need to look for another job in summer. I really doubt Thohir is happy with what he’s been seeing these last visits in Milan.
The up-side: The clean sheet, Walter Samuel badass as usual and Andrea Ranocchia showing some real growth in character these last 3 games.
The down side: We won’t get a penalty this season it seems, even though one could’ve been given. And everything else.
