Inter continued their impressive start to the season with a 1-0 win over Lazio at the San Siro thanks to wing back Danilo D’Ambrosio’s first half header and a goalkeeping masterclass from Samir Handanovic.

Sat top of Serie A after five games, it has been a dream start domestically for Antonio Conte, continuing his 100% record.

Line-ups:

Inter made three changes from their derby day victory as Conte handed a debut to wing back Cristiano Biraghi. Matias Vecino returned to the starting eleven, replacing the rested Stefano Sensi, whilst Matteo Politano came in for Lautaro Martinez up front.

Ciro Immobile missed out for Lazio, replaced by Felipe Caicedo, as Lazio looked to build on an impressive 2-0 victory against Parma.

First Half:

Inter looked to dominate possession in the opening 20 minutes, whilst Matteo Politano was tasked with leading the high press. It was evident how comfortable on the ball the three Inter centre backs were, as they dictated the play from the back with ease, as Lazio struggled to put pressure on the ball.

However, despite the domination of the ball in the opening twenty minutes, it became evident that Inter were missing Stefano Sensi in the midfield. Dominating possession 70% to 30%, Marcelo Brozovic and the three centre backs controlled the ball well, however they lacked the tempo and impetus to attacks that Sensi brings.

Despite this, Inter’s goal came after 23 minutes, and was indicative of how they’d looked to create chances throughout the season. Biraghi received the ball out wide, looking to cross drop a deep position whilst Inter overloaded the box, with the opposite wing back pushing into the box.

Lukaku and Politano occupied their men in the middle, creating a 3 v 3 situation. Goal scorer D’Ambrosio has just moved into shot, also aided by having a run on his defender.

An excellent cross in from Biraghi, helped by his ability to switch back onto his right foot, left Jony isolated against D’Ambrosio, who headed home superbly to give Inter the lead.

However, throughout the first half, the lack of link play became evident, as although the wing backs were receiving the ball, the midfielders, in particular Vecino, weren’t contributing enough going forward to link the play.

Vecino’s heat map below shows the lack of influence he was able to exert on the game, and in particular struggled to offer support to Biraghi out wide, who had shown his attacking talent going forward with the assist for the opening goal.

This was further highlighted by the influence map from Inter’s first half. Biraghi’s high positioning was key to the goal, however Vecino’s lack of influence and isolation of Biraghi is further shown below. Compared to the link up play which Sensi and Asamoah often demonstrate, it was a disappointing first half performance, and made it harder for Inter to dominate the play further up the pitch, and this contributed to Lazio creating chances towards the end of the first half.

It is worth noting that Vecino’s lack of influence wasn’t helped as he was tasked with dealing with Milinkovic-Savic, and although he was able to keep him quiet, it contributed to the offensive worries highlighted above.

 

One concern for Inter is the lack of pace at the back, and when losing the ball in transition, sides have been able to target this. Lazio once again exploited this, with the midfielders pressed high for Inter. The turnover led to Lazio being able to link the play higher up that Inter would’ve liked, leaving space in behind (shown below).

Left squared up and with a higher line, Lazio were able to break in behind and although Correa shot wide, it is an area of worry that keeps appearing in Inter’s games. This was further evidenced by another Correa opportunity, as Parolo broke from deep and was allowed to the by line due to the high Inter line, before pulling back to Correa, who’s shot was saved excellently by Handanovic.

Lukaku and Politano also cut isolated figures in the first half, as shown by the heat maps below, as the midfield struggled to link up play to the attackers. Barella’s impressive first half performance helped alleviate these concerns, and therefore meant that attacking down the right was Inter’s best approach in the first half.

 

Luis Alberto impressed for Lazio in the first half and was fundamental to their chances created as Handonovic was forced into a number of world class saves. He topped passes completed in the attacking third, however in the second half a tactical tweak and improved central midfield performances helped reduce his impact

Second Half:

Inter adapted well in the second half, and after an early counter attack sent warning signs to the Inter defence, Conte quickly responded by replacing Vecino with Sensi. This had the desired impact through the second half, as his increased energy and better link up play allowed Inter to comfortably dominate the second half.

Inter looked to press higher up the pitch, and this subsequently forced Lazio to go long, allowing the centre halves to dominate the ball for Inter. As shown below, De Vrij was able to play deeper, reducing the effect of Lazio’s quick interplay from the first half, and subsequently reduce the influence Luis Alberto was able to exert on the game.

Conte’s substitutions were staggered throughout the second half, gradually adding fresh legs to the attack. As a result, it allowed Inter to keep their pressing intensity up, whilst also allowing them to break at pace when required. Barella’s perseverance in midfield was highlighted in the opening stages of the first half, as he didn’t give up on a Lukaku flick on, able to capitalise in lax defending in the Lazio ranks.

Although he certainly should’ve done better with the eventual chance, it was indicative of how he played in the second half, and represented an improved performance by the young Italian midfielder.

Highlighting the impact both Barella had on the second half, Barella managed to create four chances, whilst Sensi linked up play in the final third much more effectively than Vecino was able to in the first half, completing 11 of 12 passes in the final third.

 

De Vrij also impressed at the back for Inter, much more suited to the deeper defensive line they were able to pursue in the second half. His heat map below shows how well he covered the centre of the pitch for Inter, whilst he completed 85 of 88 passes, playing a key role to the sides ball retention and managing of the game, particularly in the second half.

Alongside Godin (77/91) and Skriniar (93/99), the passing ability of the back three helped managed the game superbly, and allowed Inter to take control of the second half, nullifying any threat which Lazio had.

Inter once again impressed on the counter attack when leading a game, but weren’t able to find the second goal in the game to kill it off. However, Conte’s substitutions worked wonders in stretching the game once again, opting to bring on fresh legs up top in Martinez and Sanchez, which helped stop Lazio from playing out from the back and building attacks, whilst also helping to retain the ball higher up the pitch.

Once Inter get in front this season, they are proving very hard to break down, and the counter attacking ability of the side is setting them up for a real go at the title.

Summary:

Another impressive win for Conte’s men, leaves them top with a 100% record. Conte is manging his squad well with rotation, and with a game against Sampdoria coming quickly on Saturday, expect him to rotate once again.

A trip to the Nou Camp is also on the horizon, as Inter look to build further on a fantastic start to the season.