Inter Milan midfielders Nicolo Barella and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have earned praise for their performances against Genoa.
Today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, via FCInterNews, highlight the work of the hard-running duo.
Genoa gave Inter a very tough match at the San Siro yesterday.
The Ligurian team came prepared to push Inter high up the pitch, and play at a very high tempo.
This meant that Inter needed to work very hard to keep up with the pace that the opposition set. And they also needed the technical quality and speed of thought to play their own game.
And that is exactly what midfielders Barella and Mkhitaryan provided.
Nicolo Barella & Henrikh Mkhitaryan Praised For Performances Vs Genoa
Inter’s midfielders have a big job on both sides of the ball. They have to cover a lot of spaces, particularly given the amount of mobility that the defenders and wide players have.
Barella and Mkhitaryan each had work to do in the buildup phase yesterday.
The Italian in particular frequently dropped deep to help Kristjan Asllani and the defenders circulate the ball quickly and crisply.
And Barella’s quality and tactical awareness shone through in that role.
But the 27-year-old also had his say at the other end. Barella got into the final third on numerous occasions, including a couple good chances to score.
And it was Barella who won the penalty that proved to be the difference in the 2-1 victory for Inter.
Meanwhile, Mkhitaryan had the role of knitting things together in midfield that he usually does.
The Armenian’s well-timed runs, tidy touches, and knowledge of where his next pass always was helped facilitate a number of Inter’s flowing team passing moves into the final third.
And both Barella and Mkhitaryan needed to cover a lot of ground defensively. Genoa’s midfield trio really put the Inter midfielders to work – but they proved to be just about up to the task.
