Having put together one of their finest team performances in recent times to beat cross-town rivals Milan last Sunday, Inter continued their fine form with a win against Genoa Thursday night in the Coppa Italia. Adding to this Wesley Sneijder has returned from injury, Douglas Maicon looks to be rediscovering his best form and Andrea Poli showed that he has the potential to be a feature of the midfield for years to come.
Inter came into the Milan Derby having lost the previous three encounters and knowing that only a win would put them back in the title hunt, and despite conceding much of the possession they came away with the three points that puts them just six points behind league leaders Juventus. After the game many people were critical of Inter’s defensive game plan, Milan’s coach Massimiliano Allegri even went as far as to say that his side was the only one that played real football. This view is however a naive one, as Milan had simply played into Inter’s hands.
Even in Inter’s dominant Treble winning year, they often lost the possession count to their opponents. In Sunday’s derby Claudio Ranieri set his team up in such a fashion that allowed Milan much of the ball, however it gave Inter the chance to do what they do best, counter attack. With Milan pushing forward it was a couple of old war horses who provided Inter with the winning goal, as Zavier Zanetti pushed forward from a turnover and provided Diego Milito with a pin point pass to slot home, following an Ignazio Abate error.
The game was a display of everything that made Inter the number one team in Serie A for so many years. They showed incredible discipline, with Lucio and Walter Samuel always in position to snuff out an attacking threat. There was great team play too as players worked overtime to help cover in different areas and even the strikers worked back to help out. Pleasing too was the display of veterans like Esteban Cambiasso, Thiago Motta and of course Milito, who continued his rich vain of recent form in scoring the winner.
In amongst all the positive team indicators, lay an individual performance that will live long in the hearts of Inter supporters for years to come. At the age of 38 Zavier Zanetti could be forgiven for being slightly off the pace in such a big game, however the very opposite was true as El Tractor put on a masterclass. Playing on the right side of a 4-4-2 he used his pace and smarts to continually beat his man, as well as providing defensive cover for the adventurous Maicon. Zanetti’s resilience and consistency is phenomenal and it is shown in the fact that he has played more Serie A minutes this season than any other player.
On the back of the excitement of the derby win it could have been difficult for Inter to prepare themselves for a Coppa Italia clash with Genoa on a freezing night in Milan, however with Claudio Ranieri rotating the side and bringing in some fresh legs it was another stellar performance that saw inter run out winners 2-1. The biggest positives of the game came from the midfield performance of former Sampdoria youngster Andrea Poli and the aforementioned Maicon who not only scored a wonder goal, but also laid on an assist for the second goal and seemed very much to be returning to the form that had him touted as the best fullback in the world only a couple of seasons ago.
For Poli it was a chance to show Ranieri what he could offer the team and push for more game time in the league, and his display did just that as he should make his first league start for Inter with Thiago Motta suspended for the coming clash at home to Lazio. His aggression and hunger for the ball was immense as he repeatedly won the ball in midfield as well as linking up play with the strikers. He provided the finishing touch to a sparkling team move to score his first goal in the nerazzurri colours and what proved to be the decisive goal of the game. His form comes at an important time as Inter have a decided lack of youth in the midfield.
With Inter now a genuine title contender, as well as still very much in the hunt in both the Champions League and the Coppa Italia, there is a lot to be excited about if you are an Inter supporter. After such a disastrous start to the season it feels all the more remarkable to be in this position and all those involved in the club are surely feeling very positive about what has been achieved in recent times. However Claudio Ranieri, who deserves much of the credit for the turn around will not allow his team to become complacent with the task at hand, one that begins this weekend agaisnt the high flying Lazio who sit above Inter in fourth.
Follow Herbert Hodgson on twitter @herberthodgson
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