If you’re a #SpallettiOut fan, you need to read this. Because the surprising streak of four consecutive wins that saw Inter triumph over Tottenham, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Cagliari are entrenched in five key merits of the Inter coach.
1. Tactical wins
Recalling the Tottenham win, it’s easy to focus solely on Vecino’s match winner or Icardi’s breathtaking goal. But equally important were the whole 90 minutes in which Inter were tactically perfect against a stronger side. Defence were faultless (We all know how Eriksen scored), while Inter’s midfield worked tirelessly and in a tactful way in order not to let Tottenham play its usual game. Apart from the instructions, Spalletti guessed the right substitutions and all this brought home the result.
The same applies to the Sampdoria and Fiorentina wins. Inter were not given the due credit on such important victories. These two opponents were on a great form and exceeding expectations. It was no easy feat to defeat them but that’s what Spalletti managed to do against his counterparts Giampaolo and Pioli.
2. Variety of goal scorers
The main problem of the past season was Inter’s dependence on Icardi and Perisic for goalscoring. There were no other alternatives. Spalletti gradually managed to change this and in the first 8 games we already have 10 different goalscorers: Icardi, Perisic, De Vrij, Candreva, Lautaro Martinez, Nainggolan, Vecino, Brozovic, D’Ambrosio and Politano have all managed to find the net in this first stretch of the season. What a contrast from last season! But Spalletti’s task is not over yet. The next step is to create much more goalscoring chances during the game while also improving the finishing ability of the Nerazzurri.
3. Adaptability of the new signings
It’s a detail that was overlooked by many, but the vast majority of Inter’s new signings have already showed their worth and fully grasped what was required from them. Spalletti managed to put them all in the right place and get the best from them, like they have been wearing the Inter jersey for a much longer time.
De Vrij has cemented his place in defence with his towering presence and excellent performances; Lautaro showed glimpses of exceptional talent and even scored a match winner; Asamoah seems to be the long-sought solution at left back; Politano has given the much-needed pace and improvisation at the last quarter, while Nainggolan was crucial for Inter’s high-pressure attitude even though the ninja is still after his best form. We only await Keita Balde to be given a chance and Vrsaljko to exit once and for all the hospital wing.
4. Revival of discarded players
It was Spalletti who retreated Brozovic to a playmaking role last season. Now, Spalletti also seems to have managed to solve the player’s main shortcoming of inconsistency, giving him regular playing time and a leadership role. As the season progressed, Spalletti was also the mastermind to resuscitate the performances of players like Candreva, who seemed to be out of the equation in August, and even Dalbert and Borja Valero. Let’s give credit where is due.
5. A resilient Inter
The most thing that I despised about Inter’s initial games was the inability to overturn the result. Once we conceded a goal, the players couldn’t hit back. Sassuolo, Torino and Parma all underline this. But the last four games seem to show that Spalletti managed to address this shortcoming as well. Against Tottenham and Fiorentina we came from behind, while in every of the last four games (thus including Sampdoria and Cagliari as well) the winning goal always came in the last 15 minutes. This shows a resilient mindset that only the coach could have installed in all his players.
All in all, after the lacklustre start we all demanded a strong response from the coach and he managed to do so with perfect results. Yes, there’s still room for much improvement on Inter’s fitness and performance, but so far the result remains the most important thing at this stage and in this regard, Spalletti deserves the plaudits of us all. Let’s hope this streak goes longer as much as possible both in the league and in Europe. This will yield the right self-confidence needed to address other challenges in due time.
James J Piscopo is a journalist based in Malta. 27 years old, he has been following Inter for more than two decades. He writes a weekly editorial exclusively for SempreInter.com