The changing of the guard in goal is set to have a major effect on how Inter Milan play in possession for next season.
This is highlighted in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who detail how things will change with Yann Sommer and Anatoliy Trubin in goal compared to Andre Onana.
Last season after Andre Onana arrived from Ajax, Inter radically altered their approach in the buildup phase.
The Cameroonian is extremely proactive in how he involves himself in buildup play.
This means that Onana will take up aggressive positions off his line, and even outside of his penalty area, when his team have the ball. The 27-year-old insists on being involved in possession with his teammates, and has the technical ability to pull it off.
The Gazzetta note that this meant that last season, the midfielder at the base of the trio tended to drop very deep. This was Hakan Calhanoglu more often than not.
As such, Inter would play with what looked for all intents and purposes like a 4-2-4 shape.
This formation allowed Inter to play fairly intricately in buildup. The spaces between the players meant that there was always an opportunity for a short pass for whoever was on the ball in the buildup phase.
Moreover, it was hard for the opposition to outnumber Inter when they dropped several players deep, as the addition of Onana meant the spare man was always there.
Thusly, Inter were able to move both players and the ball forward slowly, methodically, and accurately.
Sommer To Alter Inter Milan Style Of Play In Buildup
By all accounts, however, Onana is not long for Inter. Barring dramatic late changes, the 27-year-old will join Manchester United.
The player who Inter are zeroing in on to replace Onana is Bayern Munich’s Yann Sommer. Meanwhile, the Nerazzurri are still going after Shakhtar Donetsk keeper Anatoliy Trubin as a longer-term option.
The Gazzetta note that Sommer in particular is very proficient at taking longer goal-kicks. The Swiss international can certainly give Inter an incisive counterattacking threat, with his range of longer passes.
This will certainly make Inter a more direct team.
What the Nerazzurri will lack in Onana’s absence is the Cameroonian’s style in his own third.
Sommer is not as confident or as technically assured as Onana is in his short-passing game – few keepers are.
This means that the option of the slow, clinical buildup is not on the table.
On the other hand, Sommer is a proven commodity when it comes to longer, more traditional goal kicks.
As such, Inter’s strategy will rely less on building a numerical advantage first in their own third, and then further and further up the pitch.
Rather, the Gazzetta suggests, the Nerazzurri will push up more and quicker in the immediate buildup phase. They will look to take advantage of Sommer’s long kicks, and the physicality in their squad.
