Inter played a perfect match to beat Juventus in last night’s Derby d’Italia, according to the Nerazzurri’s former legendary striker Roberto Boninsegna.
Goals from Arturo Vidal and Nicolo Barella handed Antonio Conte his first victory over the Bianconeri since he left the club in the summer of 2014.
Inter are seven points clear of Andrea Pirlo’s side, who have a game in hand, after a game they dominated from start to finish.
“Inter were perfect while Juventus did not exist,” Boninsegna argued in an interview with Radio Anch’io Lo Sport today.
“Inter had more character, the Bianconeri lacked grit.
“In the first half there could have been more goals, Inter played a great match.
“Juventus were nowhere to be seen in midfield and never even won a tackle.
“The Nerazzurri went on to the pitch determined and deservedly won the game, although we need to work out how big a part Juventus’ performance played in that.
“The second goal they conceded is something you don’t even see in amateur football, a long pass made it all the way to Barella right in front of the goalkeeper.”
Inter have been the subject of intense media speculation over the last few days regarding the future of owners Suning.
The Chinese retail giants are reportedly considering selling the club and are in talks with numerous private investment groups, but Boninsegna was not surprised that Conte and his players were able to keep their mind on the job last night.
“Certain rumours can be annoying but the squad is the same, there are 25 quality players,” Boninsegna said.
“I think Conte has also fixed the midfield.
“Juve’s midfield yesterday was a disaster, certainly also thanks to Inter. who are going through an excellent moment even if they lost against Sampdoria in a very strange way.”
Boninsegna, who played for Inter between 1969 and 1976, then shared his thoughts on what yesterday’s result means for Inter, who had not won this fixture since back in 2016.
“Yesterday, they took a big step towards winning the Scudetto, they almost only have that to focus on now anyway.”
Boninsegna then spoke on Romelu Lukaku and Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom had surprisingly quiet games by their standards at San Siro.
“Inter have no replacement for Lukaku, as an Inter fan I hope he won’t get hurt because he’s irreplaceable.
“Ronaldo is paying for getting older but also for his team’s lack of play.”
In conclusion Boninsegna shared some quick thoughts on current Serie A leaders AC Milan, who are bolstering their ranks with the signing of Mario Mandzukic.
“No one has ever believed in AC Milan but they are having an excellent season and must be taken into consideration.
“With the signing of Mandzukic, they are completing the squad and can give Zlatan Ibrahimovic a rest.”
During his seven year stint with Inter, which was followed by a spell with Juventus, Boninsegna made 283 appearances across all competitions, in which he scored a very impressed 173 goals.
