How Summer Signings Make Inter Milan A More Direct Counterattacking Team

Inter Milan look ready to become a more direct and counterattacking team after they finish up their summer  business.

This is the view in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who note that the Nerazzurri’s signings are all following a trend of changing the team’s style of play to emphasize quicker and more vertical attacks.

This summer will see plenty of incomings and outgoings from Inter.

And, the Gazzetta suggests, there is a clear plan that is becoming evident. The profiles that the club are seeking are following a particular trend compared to the players they’re replacing.

Starting in goal, Andre Onana now looks on the verge of leaving for Manchester United. The Cameroonian is a player who is extremely proactive in possession by the standards of his position.

Compared to Onana’s intricate style of passing in buildup, a replacement like Yann Sommer looks more traditional.

With Onana gone, the Nerazzurri will not have a keeper who favours short passes close to his own goal. This will certainly lead to a shift away from the methodical buildup play that Inter favoured last season.

Midfield Change Will Make Inter Milan More Direct

Another player who was well-known for making short precise passes was Marcelo Brozovic.

The technically gifted Croat tended to be the player at the heart of the Nerazzurri’s buildup in midfield.

With Brozovic at the base of the trio, Inter always looked like a team comfortable moving the ball around through the centre of the pitch via short passing sequences.

The player who Inter have signed to replace the 30-year-old is not a like-for-like replacement by any means.

Rather, Davide Frattesi is a much more all-action player. The 23-year-old is at his best when driving through midfield, and has shown a real knack for aggressive arrivals in the final third.

With both Frattesi and Nicolo Barella playing either side of Hakan Calhanoglu, Inter should have a midfield that is more orientated towards direct, vertical attacks than they have in some time.

And lastly, Marcus Thuram has come in to replace Edin Dzeko.

Whilst the Bosnian was very much a player who was happy to use his strength and technical ability to hold up play and bring his teammates into play, Thuram is more direct.

This, too, should favour a more counterattacking style of play.