Inter Milan and Simone Inzaghi got 2024 off to a winning start against Hellas Verona, but did they do so convincingly?
The player ratings for the match across Italian media, via L’Interista, suggest that the Nerazzurri coach got the job done. But it was far from the best performance from the team as a whole.
Inzaghi’s selections for the starting eleven gave a strong signal of the coach’s intentions.
The 47-year-old went with just about the strongest team available to him.
Even against relegation-battling opposition, Inzaghi pushed for three points. Clearly, getting off to a winning start in 2024 – and ending the first half of the season as “winter champions” was important to Inzaghi.
So did Inter get what they wanted out of the match?
Inter & Inzaghi Get 2024 Off To A Winning Start Vs Verona – But Don’t Always Convince
Inter certainly got the match against Verona off to the start they’d have wanted to.
The Nerazzurri played a high-tempo, fluid, and direct style of football.
And this led to an early goal which showcased just about everything good about Inter under Inzaghi. And about the season that captain Lautaro Martinez has been having.
And the Nerazzurri got the three points they wanted.
But everything in between suggested more trouble than would have appeared obvious.
Inter struggled to break down Verona and carve out the chances for a second goal to really gain a firm grip on the match after their early flourish.
This has become something of a theme for the Nerazzurri at the San Siro this season.
Inter can certainly play very well in bursts. But over ninety minutes, there seem to be moments where the team drops off mentally.
And Italian media have laid the blame for this at the feet of the coach.
Inzaghi will have to do better in the coming weeks and months if he wants to turn the “winter champions” designation into his first ever Serie A title as a coach in May.
