Inter are breaking away at the top of Serie A by giving their opponents the ball, an Italian media report has highlighted today.
Antonio Conte’s side went four points clear of AC Milan with victory in yesterday’s Derby della Madonnina, a game in which the Nerazzurri had just 40% possession.
Gazzetta dello Sport have pointed out that things have gone well for the Nerazzurri since coach Conte binned the idea of playing ‘champagne football’, which involved playing an attacking midfielder behind Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez.
In Inter’s first six Serie A matches of the season, the report highlights, they had 63% possession on average and picked up just 11 points from 18, conceding 10 goals along the way.
The turning point came in the 1-1 draw at Atalanta, when Inter’s possession dropped to 47% and in games soon after versus Sassuolo, Napoli and Spezia, they had possession percentages of 34, 41 and 42 respectively.
The Milan-based news publication explained that the Nerazzurri had become masters of sitting back and allowing the opposition the ball, before getting the ball back and countering, often with great success.
Despite this low-possession approach, Inter have still managed to score a league high 57 goals, leading Gazzetta to warn readers that it would be inappropriate to dismiss Conte’s style of play as ‘catenaccio’.
