Beppe Bergomi has downplayed the idea that Inter have a ‘match point’ for the Serie A title against Atalanta tonight.
Antonio Conte’s side can move back to six points clear at the top of the Serie A table with a win at San Siro, but Bergomi does not believe this is a big enough gap to consider the title race done.
Juventus and AC Milan both won difficult matches this weekend, against Lazio and Hellas Verona respectively, to keep things tight at the summit.
“Tonight’s match is not a Scudetto match point for Inter because a six-point advantage is little and there is still a very long way to go,” Bergomi remarked in an interview with Italian daily newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
“If Inter beat Atalanta, it would be another big brick in their Scudetto wall and would allow them to put another direct clash behind them.
“The most dangerous team for Inter are Juventus, because they still have to play them for a second time.”
The former Nerazzurri captain then discussed the differences between Inter’s three-man defence and that of Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta.
“At the beginning of the year, the defensive trio of Inter tried to get closer to that of Atalanta, then Conte realised he couldn’t do it, partly because of both the defenders and the midfield.
“When the pitch is open, Inter suffer a bit.
“When you look at Atalanta’s Cristian Romero though, he keeps the line high, he take on opponents everywhere, man against man, even without cover and he creates numerical superiority for Atalanta in the build-up phase.”
Bergomi went on to praise Conte for his decision to move away from the system that was causing Inter problems for themselves earlier on this season.
“Conte’s choice was correct for the squad he has, now his team is not taking risks.
“The team is still pressing but only alternately, and often they manage to find the right solution thanks to the excellent Alessandro Bastoni.”
Bergomi, who spent the entirety of his career with Inter and made the second most appearances of all time for the club, concluded by speaking on Inter striker Romelu Lukaku, who has 24 goals in 32 appearances this season.
“So far he has only suffered against two teams, Napoli, against Kalidou Koulibaly, and Juve,” Bergomi argued.
“When he meets big and fast defenders like him, he cannot be as dominant as he is against all the rest of Serie A.
“He needs space to break away and have more space to run into with the possibility of help from his teammates.
“The closer you take Lukaku to the box the more he becomes easier for opposition defenders to read and perhaps to intercept.
“He always wants the ball to feet and when there’s lots of players around him he has fewer solutions.”
