Legendary former Inter defender Beppe Bergomi feels that the Nerazzurri’s current squad is not quite set up for the tactical demands of modern football.
Speaking to Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published in today’s print edition, Bergomi highlighted the ways in which the team’s current setup can be exploited in the style of play at the top level today.
The quality of the players in Inter’s squad can hardly be disputed, although the balance and style of the team is certainly up for debate after the team’s start to the season.
As Bergomi notes, there is a real emphasis on quality in building up play, but one that appears to be to the detriment of coping in a more vertical, transition-based game.
The former defender believes that part of the problem could be that the Nerazzurri’s directors simply aren’t quite keeping up with the times with their tactical ideas.
“There are clear flaws showing that were not appearing last season,”Bergomi argued.
“Against Roma, however, the Nerazzurri did not deserve to lose based on what was seen on the pitch,” he continued.
“I remain of the idea that Inter do not have the strongest squad in the league, as Allegri claims,” the former defender went on.
“The directors have made decisions without fully understanding the changing ideas that modern football imposes,” he continued.
He noted that “They have few players who can beat a man one-on-one, and don’t have great intensity in doing so.
“Now I don’t even see the enthusiasm in the team to win the ball back, counter quickly,” Bergomi noted.
“And if you don’t have that,” he went on, “the flaws emerge more.”
“I’ve been noticing the attitude hasn’t been that of a real team since the second match.”
“Inter’s buildup from the back including the defenders is quite slow,” he observed.
“The buildup from the back has some benefits,” Bergomi continued, “such as Brozovic’s goal against Milan.”
“But it is a huge risk,” he noted, “because all the horizontal passes expose the defense, make it hard to defend positions, and make one-on-one situations difficult.”
