Inter Milan’s fixture list looked to have caught up with them a bit in yesterday evening’s 2-2 Serie A draw against Bologna.
This is the view in today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews. The newspaper note that the Nerazzurri looked very sluggish compared to their performance against Benfica during the week.
Inter did certainly get off to a bright start to yesterday afternoon’s match.
The Nerazzurri scored twice inside fifteen minutes. And this was no fluke, as the team pushed hard to try and overwhelm Bologna early on.
But there was to be no similar start to the second half.
On the contrary, Inter’s play slowed down and became predictable as they searched for a goal to restore their advantage following the Rossoblu’s equalizer early after halftime.
This was almost the polar opposite of Inter’s performance against Benfica on Tuesday.
The first half of that Champions League group stage clash was a bit cagey. Neither team looked to have gotten out of second gear.
But in the second half, Inter raised their game to the level required to unlock the match, blowing the Portuguese champions away even if the scoreline was only 1-0.
Inter Paying For Fixture List In Sluggish Draw Vs Bologna
For the Corriere, it would be impossible to ignore the effects of Inter’s packed fixture list in yesterday’s match.
The Nerazzurri have been playing twice a week since the return from the September international break.
This has of course taken a toll on the team’s energy.
Against Benfica in midweek, Inter needed to put a lot into the match to win it in the second half.
Therefore, against Bologna the Nerazzurri only had so much left in the tank.
From the perspective of the Corriere, that was the central theme of yesterday’s match.
Inter were able to show their quality for a relatively short period. And then, they looked more and more like a team who are playing twice a week.
