The first game of the season started with a terrible defensive error as ex-Inter player Kouame scored past a helpless Samir in the 3rd minute.
Inter took some time to get the engines going and their pressure resulted in an equalizer from virtually the last kick in the first half by a red-hot Lautaro.
Conte’s words charged up the team and after some great work by Lautaro, Inter led again. At other clubs this means a calm and collected 3 points, but here Ribery showed up with 2 delightful assists to Castrovilli and Chiesa. Inter threw on new signings Vidal, Hakimi along with the returning Nainggolan and the bench strength showed.
Samir Handanovic – 5: Samir’s only good moment of the night was the magnificent save against Kouame. Yes the defending was poor, but 3 conceded out of 4 shots on goal.
Danilo D’Ambrosio – 5.5: Played too high in possession at times especially in the first half. Didn’t do well in defence as he usually does but popped up with an important goal.
Alessandro Bastoni – 6.5: Seemed like the only defender who could head the ball. Bastoni was doing everything in defence and looked decent in his first game in the middle.
Aleksandar Kolarov – 5: Caught between 2 defenders on the goal. Not a debut to remember as he tried to use up his experience but struggled against quick opponents.
Ashley Young – 5: Good first half in attack but was often out of position in defence especially when Inter lost the ball. Should have been taken off when Inter led.
Nicolo Barella – 6.5: Definition of box to box midfielder. Great assist, always wins the small battles within the war for fun. Ran himself into the ground and got booked.
Marcelo Brozovic – 6.5: Looked a bit rusty especially at the start. Slowly grew into the game and combined well with Barella. The second half was warrior like till he got tired.
Ivan Perisic – 5.5: Just like Young, concentrated a bit more in attack than in defence from the off. Could easily have had a goal at the back post. Defensive work missing.
Christian Eriksen – 5: Eriksen continued his difficult moment at Inter. Every time he lost the ball, Fiorentina looked dangerous. The strikers didn’t convert what he created.
Romelu Lukaku – 6.5: Lukaku takes some time to get warmed up as we saw last season, could easily had 2-3 goals if this match was in November. Good hold up play.
Lautaro Martinez – 7.5: Lautaro from 2019 is back. He was Inter’s most dangerous player all night. Great curling goal and created the 2nd out of sheer will power. Unsellable.
Stefano Sensi – 7: A breath of fresh air as the match headed to the direction of the Tuscans. Didn’t stop running and added quality and quantity almost immediately.
Achraf Hakimi – 7: Inter have finally found their heir to Maicon. Converted the right side to a highway only for him as nobody was able to keep up. Great assist on debut.
Radja Nainggolan – 6: Didn’t look 100% and he usually needs a couple of games to shake the rust off. If Inter keep him fit, this is a difference maker off the bench.
Arturo Vidal – 6.5: Vidal finally played a game for Inter and made a difference. With Barella and Brozovic tiring, he came on and took control of midfield for a bit.
Alexis Sanchez – 7.5: His name is Alexis “Impact” Sanchez henceforth. Came on at a difficult moment and turned the game around on its head. Cool, calm and collected.
Antonio Conte – 5: The final result should not divert attention away from the shambolic defence organization. Remember no “Pazza Inter”? Subs were right for once.
Gianpaolo Calvarese – 6: Gave away too many soft fouls to both sides. Let the game flow to his credit and it wasn’t the most easiest game to ref in. Good use of the VAR.
Inter – 5.5: Normal, boring wins are rare at this club. The Pazza is here to stay but the team need to focus on controlling games as they let a 2-1 lead slip easily.
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