Legendary former AC Milan and Italy coach Arrigo Sacchi believes that some obvious imbalances emerged in Inter’s performance in their 2-1 win over Lecce yesterday evening.
Speaking to Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published in today’s print edition, the former coach gave his analysis of the Nerazzurri’s Serie A opener and suggested that it looked as though the defenders and the rest of the team lacked connections.
Inter lined up with their usual 3-5-2 formation at the start of yesterday’s match, but this did not mean that they played with the same fluidity and sharpness that characterized some of their best performances from last season.
Strikers Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez had limited success in linking up with the midfield and keeping the pressure on newly-promoted Lecce, while as Sacchi notes the defenders also struggled to participate incisively in the building of attacks.
“Going ahead right at the start of the game, I thought they would keep attacking and keeping the opposition under pressure,” he noted. “Instead they slowed and allowed Lecce to get back on their feet. And if it hadn’t been for Dumfries, I don’t know what would have happened.”
Of Romelu Lukaku’s goalscoring return Sacchi was someone skeptical, stating that “You don’t win with just one player. You have to be more aggressive and compact, you have to put pressure on your opponent and win the ball back quickly.”
“I would say they did this very little,” he continued of the Nerazzurri’s performance against Lecce. “Already in the preseason the problems had started to appear – everyone must participate in both the offensive and defensive phases, otherwise the team will get outnumbered and allow the opposition to dictate proceedings.”
“I say this looking beyond the result,” the former coach went on, “I I look at the attitude of the team on the pitch.”
“Against Lecce there were five defenders on three strikers,” he noted, “that was an obvious imbalance. Then in midfield you can’t build and play possession football.”
