Italian journalist Stefano De Grandis believes that Inter had to ride their luck in order to pick up three points against Sassuolo in Saturday’s match in Emilia-Romagna.
Speaking to Italian news outlet Sky Sport Italia, the journalist gave the view that Samir Handanovic could have been sent off for the Nerazzurri late in the second half, and that had this happened, they would have likely lost the match.
Inter had to come back from a one-goal deficit to get the result they wanted against a tough Sassuolo side, having arguably been fortunate not to see the Neroverdi increase their advantage in a one-sided first half.
Right at the end of the first half, Handanovic avoided a straight red card in an incident which saw Sassuolo Gregoire Defrel go down in a one-on-one with the keeper, after the referee adjudged there to have been insufficient contact for a foul.
In the end, the Nerazzurri found their rhythm with a number of substitutions in the second half, but for De Grandis, the match showed that sometimes luck can be as important as skill in seeing teams pick up results.
He explained, “A slightly provocative thing immediately comes to mind: it is more important for a coach to be lucky than good.”
“Now, Inzaghi is also good,” he continued. “But you can also make two changes before and two after, or do all four together and get a goal out of a hat from a substitute in thirty seconds.”
He concluded, “In this I don’t see a lot of strategy but a lot of luck – Inter were lucky yesterday. Had Handanovic been sent off, which he could have been, they would have lost the match. In yesterday’s victory I see skill, substitutions, a deep squad and better luck.”
