Inter saved their best performance of the season for Matchday 18 with a sublime win over Juventus in the Derby D’Italia which was their first win over the Old Lady since 2016.
Goals from ex-Bianoneri enforcer Arturo Vidal and a magnificent Nicolo Barella saw Inter draw level on points with Milan at the summit ahead of their Monday night trip to Cagliari.
Here we break down the five major talking points from Inter’s best performance in years.
1 – A True Tactical Masterclass By Mr. Antonio Conte.
Antonio Conte has met a fair number of critics both this term and last term for some of his tactical decisions but this week he sat those doubters down and taught them a lesson.
The midfield trio of Barella, Brozovic and Vidal retained possessions gallantly and were able to ensure smooth transitions between both defence and attack for the full ninety minutes, something we haven’t seen all season.
The back three let nothing past them and also pushed high up on the flanks to support when attacking the Juve half.
Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez ran themselves into the ground by harrying the backline of Juventus and every opportunity and executing world class hold up play to allow the likes of Hakimi and Barella to drive Inter goalward.
Conte’s substitutions were executed at perfect times and he replaced players who were tiring and in danger of being red carded which was smart.
In summary, Conte managed to engineer a side that played with verve, tenacity and spirit. By far Inter’s best performance since his arrival.
2 – Arturo Vidal Comes Up Trumps
Another man who has been much maligned this term with roots of Bianconeri is Arturo Vidal.
Poor showings against Crotone and Sampdoria led to much speculation about Vidal’s effectiveness in this current setup.
However, credit where it is due, the Chilean was outstanding against Juventus.
The summer recruit from Barcelona notched his third goal of the season on the stroke of the 11th minute and effectively bossed Adrien Rabiot out of the game.
His tenacious tackling and tactical discipline, two things that he had been guilty of getting wrong of late, were first rate at San Siro on Sunday evening and long may this level of performances reign from Arturo.
3 – Nicolo Barella Is Arguably The Best Midfielder In Serie A
Nicolo Barella came of age on Sunday night and put in a benchmark performance for the Nerazzuri.
Since his arrival in 2019, the Sardinian has been superb but Sunday night’s performance felt like a true watershed moment for Barella as he simply ran the Derby D’Italia.
Barella did not stop running, threw his body on the line at every moment and took his goal like a striker years his senior.
This level of performance from Barella is as good as any midfield display from an Inter player since the days of Dejan Stankovic, Thiago Motta and Esteban Cambiasso.
A complete performance caps off his ascent to his rightful throne as the best midfielder in Serie A at the time of writing.
4 – Alessandro Bastoni: Just Wow
A defender’s job is to defend but when you have a defender that can do that and he can also run with the ball like a winger and play passes like a central midfielder, you are onto something special.
That something special is Alessandro Bastoni.
Similar to Barella, since his inclusion in the first team last year, Bastoni seems to have picked last night to put it in his best performance.
His assist for Barella’s goal was out of this world but it was his positional play and his ‘closing the door’ treatment on an in form Federico Chiesa that truly stood out.
Since breaking into the side, Bastoni has showed maturity beyond his years and his emergence has led to the departure of Diego Godin, one of the best defenders of this generation, and cemented him as a future stalwart for his club and national side.
A ball playing 6ft 4in centre back with pace. A generational talent Inter have on their hands.
January Transfer Strategy Made Clear
This week saw news break of Inter potentially gaining investment from BC Partners.
Chinese owners Suning look set to welcome new investment which has led to speculation over Inter’s position on the current transfer market.
With Sunday’s performance, it was once again highlighted that depth in the striking department and a less ageing left sided wing back are priorities in the window.
Whether Christian Eriksen leaves San Siro remains to be seen but given the question mark over funds to improve the aforementioned areas, Inter may need to sacrifice the Dane for the good of squad improvement.
Rodrigo De Paul was once again outstanding for a poor Udinese which begs the question of whether he should Eriksen’s replacement.
However, it seems that Inter’s financial situation depends on sales and whether Suning can afford to back the coach mid season. We should no more this time next week.