Inter have managed to cling onto three very important points as they beat Sampdoria on Sunday night with goals coming from Danilo D’Ambrosio and Radja Nainggolan.
Luciano Spalletti has awakened the team and they are now taking forward steps with every passing game. In a week where so many things went wrong, it is important to note that this is Inter’s third consecutive victory.
All signs point to the fact that Inter are recovering regardless of what decisions are being made off the pitch. Inter have decided what route to take, the management may have taken unpopular decisions but these decisions have brought the group closer together. The happy faces and hugs at the end of the game were a joy to see, Ivan Perisic and Milan Skriniar in particular. All of these things point towards a new beginning and help remove some of the doubts that the fans had. Inter still has something to say, both in the Serie A and in the Europa League.
D’Ambrosio, who is always criticised, put in a positive performance and showed up when it counted the most. If you look between the lines, you can see how Inter’s continuity can be related to the leadership abilities of players like D’Ambrosio, Andrea Ranocchia, and the new captain, Samir Handanovic. D’Ambrosio has been criticised a lot but has improved thanks to Spalletti.
Lautaro Martinez was in doubt because of a knock he took against Rapid Vienna, and that would have been trouble for Spalletti. In the end, El Toro managed to play and, after a relatively quiet first half, managed to influence the game by taking control of the attack, changing pace and fighting for every ball.
His continuous movement led to many openings in the Sampdoria defence, which gave Inter quite a few opportunities. Lautaro has flashes of brilliance, but still lacks continuity and has a few lapses of judgement when it comes to making the right decision. He must be nurtured and helped, he should not have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Martinez is still only 21 years old, Inter knows that they have found a gem.
The backbone of this team is based on the two that share the same room in Appiano Gentile: Skriniar and Stefan De Vrij. The two have formed a very strong partnership and have put up a wall for Inter. The central defenders are not only fantastic in defence, but are both good with their feet and provided important passes thanks to their distribution abilities.
The match against Sampdoria was full of applause. The most thunderous were for Nainggolan and Handanovic. Former captain Mauro Icardi, however, did not receive any applause, instead, he was whistled and booed at every given opportunity. No one knows how the situation will evolve, even if the signals from Wanda Icardi and the club transmit a happy ending. The most important thing is that the team is performing again and has returned to their winning ways.
