Former Lazio, Juventus, and West Ham United striker Paolo Di Cano feels that Inter must take care to avoid one-on-one defensive situations in Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Liverpool.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, Di Canio emphasized the importance of not losing the ball cheaply to allow Reds forwards Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to run at Inter’s defenders.
The Nerazzurri will face off against one of the most prolific attacks in Europe when they come up against Liverpool on Wednesday, and a lot of this owes to the individual quality of their forwards.
Salah, Mane, and also Diogo Jota can boast a lethal combination of pace, explosiveness, and technical quality that will make them very hard to defend one-on-one even for the Nerazzurri’s solid defenders.
Di Canio feels that the tactical key for the Nerazzurri will be to starve the Reds’ forwards of service so that they cannot get into these kinds of dangerous positions.
“If you let Salah and Mane get free in a one-on-one situation, it’s bye bye,” he said. “If Inter lose the ball in the areas that they did against Napoli against Liverpool Salah is isolated against Bastoni or Dimarco, and Mane against Skriniar, goodbye.”
“Bastoni and Skriniar are very good but even just being up against either of those players five times, it’s bye bye.”
“As for quality, Inter certainly have the better midfield,” he added. “And Calhanoglu has brought something different than Eriksen who was more of a metronome. ”
“But without Barella they lose some physicality,” he added. “Inter must be careful not to lose the ball cheaply, Liverpool are the worst opponent to do this against.”
As for the Serie A title race he predicted that “March 6 will be fundamental: Napoli face Milan, while Inter have Salernitana.”
Of Inter wing-back Ivan Perisic, Di Canio said that “Perisic is in blazing form, he’s a sight to behold.”
