A first league derby defeat in over four years cost Inter their unbeaten record on Saturday evening. To make the victory hurt a touch more, Zlatan Ibrahimović was the man to punish his former club with a brace to see the red side of the city take the spoils.

Inter then came short in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, failing to beat Borussia Monchengladbach.

Here’s what Antonio Conte’s men have given us to talk about this week.

Aleksandar Kolarov Is NOT A Central Defender

Let’s just get this in there straight away, Kolarov is not a central defender.

His lack of concentration cost Inter a great deal with his poor tackle on Ibrahimović giving away an early penalty and it could be argued he was on his heels which allowed Zlatan to double his tally.

Conte bemoaned a lack of experience last term and Kolarov on the cheap seemed a solid purchase but so far he has put in some abject performances. Here is hoping he gets over his early jitters and makes an adequate replacement for Diego Godin or flourishes in the wing back slot that he may find more natural.

Romelu Lukaku Is Bailing The Nerazzurri Out

Romelu Lukaku is one of the world’s most inform strikers.

A goal in the derby followed by a double against Gladbach on Wednesday night made it 40 goals for the club since his arrival last summer which is truly phenomenal.

Conte’s side have been less than convincing so far, especially when levelled against expectations, but that simply cannot be levelled at Lukaku who has started where he finished off last term.

If the rest of the side follow the big Belgian’s lead they won’t go far wrong.

Shape And Formation Looks Less Than Comfortable

We know Conte loves 3-5-2 or a variation into a 3-4-1-2 but given the players in midfield at his disposal, that could prove too inflexible when needing goals from midfield.

Inter’s missing link that is becoming their Achilles heel is the transition from defence into attack.

Fitting the likes of Brozovic, Barella, Vidal, Sensi and Nainggolan into the same team alongside Eriksen or even Gagliardini is massively tough but given it is Inter’s strongest area, there must be a way to use this to their advantage.

At the moment there is a real lack in creativity which means Sensi or Eriksen need to start. A 4-3-1-2 or a narrow diamond could allow Inter to play either of the aforementioned two as an attacking central midfielder supported by Brozovic (in his more natural regista style role), all action Barella and either one of Vidal or Nainggolan.

A back four could bring more out of Kolarov and be more comfortable for new man Matteo Darmian too. It’s worth a look Antonio..

Achraf Hakimi Needs Protecting At All Costs

It has been a long time since Inter boasted players who would get into pretty much any club side in Europe and Achraf Hakimi is one of those.

His fast explosive style makes him the perfect modern fullback who makes the wing back role that Antonio Conte asks of him really really simple.

His play in the final third is that of a winger and his pace allows him to get up and down the pitch when necessary.

In order to have him at his max, he needs looking after which might mean taking him off in games that are straight forward or already won.

He is still very young also and he needs to be firing in all the big games this term in all competitions if Inter want to win trophies.

Inter have a gem in Hakimi and it’s crucial that he doesn’t suffer burnout. That is when he comes back having recovered from COVID-19.

Inter Flattering To Deceive

On the pitch it is never nice to lose a derby.

Inter have had Milan’s card over the past few seasons so in some ways it was their time but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing.

The manner of the defeat was frustrating with a lack of conviction in the second half in terms of finishing and final ball meant they couldn’t equalise and individual errors in the first half gave them too much of a mountain to climb.

Wednesday’s last minute rescue at home to Gladbach mirrored last season’s Champions League opener against Slavia Prague.

Sloppy, slow, ponderous and reliant on a last minute leveler to save a point in arguably their easiest group game tie.

This year Inter have to do better than last. Fact. The club have backed Conte and signed him the players he wants so he must deliver. This week has not gone well.

The derby defeat looks worse given that they couldn’t see off Lazio in a game they were leading.

This term there is going to be all sorts of competition given the starts mate by Napoli and Milan as well as the strength of Atalanta and the obvious candidate in Juventus so if Inter are to challenge, like their investment has banked on, they must improve on the field.

Quit the defensive errors. Be more creative in transition from midfield to attack and finish chances. It starts in Genoa..