Former Inter coach Alberto Zaccheroni feels that current Nerazzurri wingback duo Federico Diamrco and Denzel Dumfries have become nearly impossible to defend against.
Speaking to Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera, Zaccheroni hailed the manner in which the Nerazzurri’s two wide players give opposition defenses a hugely difficult problem trying to keep both of them quiet.
Inter have always been very reliant on their wide players for attacking impetus, under both Antonio Conte and now Simone Inzaghi.
Last season it had been Ivan Perisic and Dumfries who made life difficult for opposition defenders, whilst Matteo Darmian and occasionally Dimarco provided important depth and different qualities on the flanks.
This season, it looks to be Dimarco who has stepped up to take the place of Perisic as the first-choice option on the left.
The 24-year-old’s passing, deliveries, and all-around game have dovetailed well with the performances of Dumfries on the right, in the view of Zaccheroni.
“I get the feeling that the opposition defenses haven’t yet figured out how to defend against the constant threat and changes between the two Inter wingbacks, Dimarco and Dumfries,” he said.
“Inzaghi is using them a lot,” he continued, “and they’re getting a lot of joy, due in part also to the speed and precision of Calhanoglu who is always able to feed in one of the two.”
“Teams who defend with a back four get stretched out at the width by them and are vulnerable through the middle,” Zaccheroni noted, “whilst teams who defend with a back five get sucked into the middle.”
“Against this kind of thrust and this quality you can’t really find the right way to stop them,” he said of the Nerazzurri wingback duo.
