Inter Milan defender Francesco Acerbi has come in for praise for his performance against Atalanta yesterday evening.
Today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport give the 35-year-old a 7/10 score in the player ratings for the match published in today’s print edition, via FCInterNews, highlighting the Nerazzurri defender’s towering display against La Dea centre-forward Rasmus Hojlund.
Acerbi always looked set to have his work cut out for him yesterday evening.
Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini went with 20-year-old Danish striker Hojlund from the start.
The young striker has shown throughout this season that he can cause nightmares for even top-class defenders.
Hojlund certainly had a go at Acerbi. The Dane tried to use his pace and strength to get past the Nerazzurri defender on numerous occasions.
However, the 35-year-old never seemed to let Hojlund past.
Acerbi showed his experience, and proved that he is still more than capable of keeping pace with a striker like Hojlund.
Moreover, the 20-year-old is hardly the first top striker who Acerbi has done this sort of job on this season.
Acerbi had also negated the influence of Napoli talisman Victor Osimhen in a Serie A match in January.
For Tuttosport, Acerbi is proving that he could be the man to stop the seemingly unstoppable Erling Haaland when Inter face off against Manchester City in the Champions League final next month.
Not Just Acerbi – Barella & Lukaku Also Praised For Displays In Inter Win Vs Atalanta
Acerbi was far from the only Inter player to be praised by Tuttosport for yesterday’s performance, though.
Midfielder Nicolo Barella received a 7.5/10 for his all-action display in the centre of the pitch. The 26-year-old scored very early on, and then did just about everything else all match.
Striker Lautaro Martinez received the same score as Barella, whilst Romelu Lukaku received a stellar 8/10 grade.
