Inter’s recent upturn in form under Antonio Conte has proven they win more games when they enjoy less possession, a report in the Italian media highlighted today.
Gazzetta dello Sport‘s online edition noted that when the Nerazzurri were dominating the ball and had an average possession of 63% at the beginning of the season, they struggled to pick up results, they conceded a lot and could not keep clean sheets.
After the first six games, in which Inter picked up 11 points from a possible 18, Conte reverted to a more pragmatic 3-5-2 system with a low block, and they have started winning more now that opponents are left on the ball more.
After the 1-1 draw against Atalanta in November, where Inter had 47% possession, they went on to win eight games on the bounce in Serie A, before coming unstuck against Sampdoria on a day where their possession was up to 62%.
During Inter’s eight-match winning run, they had just 34% possession against Sassuolo, 41% against Napoli and 42% against Spezia.
Against Crotone they did have the majority, but only just as they had 52% of the possession on that day at San Siro.