Inter Milan defenders Benjamin Pavard and Alessandro Bastoni are facing criticism for their mix-up leading to Bologna equalizing yesterday.
Today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews, give the pair scores of just 5.5/10 in the player ratings for the match.
Inter’s defense did not exactly face a barrage shots and attacks from Bologna for much of yesterday afternoon.
But that made getting it right in the most dangerous situations all the more important.
It was a long ball to striker Joshua Zirkzee that undid the Nerazzurri defense early on in the second half.
And the Dutchman deserves plenty of credit for his work on the goal. Zirkzee’s control was excellent, whilst his shot was perfectly struck and hit with enough disguise to fool everyone including Inter keeper Yann Sommer.
But in the view of the Corriere, there’s no question that Inter’s defense should have done a lot better.
Inter Duo Pavard & Bastoni Criticzed For Role In Defensive Breakdown On Bologna Equalizer
Zirkzee’s work was made a lot easier by the positioning of Inter’s defense as he scored.
The 22-year-old had some space in which to control the ball and then set up his shot.
Then, there were not enough bodies in the way to really block Zirkzee’s effort. No one reacted to the situation quickly enough, and the Bologna striker spotted a corridor of space to shoot through and beat Sommer.
All three Inter defenders were to some extent culpable.
But in the view of the Corriere, Pavard particularly handled the situation wrongly.
The Frenchman ended up staying too close to Francesco Acerbi instead of providing a presence in front of Zirkzee on the right side of the Inter backline.
It was not clear why Pavard followed his teammate in that manner.
And then Bastoni found himself a bit in no man’s land.
The 24-year-old aimed to try and cover for Pavard, but lacked conviction, simply standing by as Zirkzee shot.
