Simone Inzaghi’s innovations make Inter

Inter players celebrating their victory over Bologna.Photo: Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto/Shutterstock” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/dU3cKVeMnPQjmJgNTqdSOQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3Ng–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/theguardian_763/8d30d65a267504e0339d50a82cb45576″ data-s rc= “https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/dU3cKVeMnPQjmJgNTqdSOQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3Ng–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/theguardian_763/8d30d65a267504e0339d50a82cb45576″/>

Marco Parolo was only joking when he popped the question to Simone Inzaghi last December. “Back when you were coaching me at Lazio, you offered us players dinner for the first goal with one goal assisted and the other goal scored,” the former Italy international said during an interview after Inter’s home win on Udinese. “What are you asking for right now? A goal set up by the defender on one side of your three goals and scored by the one on the other side?”

The translation is a bit incomprehensible. In Italian, Parolo contrasted “un gol da quinto a quinto” with one “da terzo a terzo”, but English does not offer an equivalent for this shorthand reference to footballers’ positions as “fives” and “threes”. It was the attitude that mattered. Parolo was as surprised as the rest of us at the volatility of the Internazionale side where every barrage of players seems to be allowed to join the attack.

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On Saturday, Parolo’s vision came true. In the 37th minute of Inter’s game at Bologna, Alessandro Bastoni, supposedly starting on the left of Inter’s back three, pushed up to support his wing outside the opposition box. Carlos Augusto laid the ball back to him, Bastoni sent in a first-time cross, and Yann Bisseck, Inter’s right-sided “terzo” for this game, came to score a diving header at the back post.

The best part was that none of this felt impossible at all. Bastoni has been accepting these positions and playing those crosses throughout the season. Bisseck, who joined from Aarhus in Denmark last summer, explained himself by revealing himself as a “modern defender, who likes to play with the ball and score”. He had already opened his account for the club with a goal against Lecce in December – a game in which he also volleyed against the bar.

There may not be a better club in Europe right now for a player with that mentality to flourish. It would be uncharitable to define Inzaghi’s football as “modern” as that would suggest a wider trend of clubs adopting a fluid approach to what formations are possible. Where else can a young centre-back feel empowered to attack knowing his team-mates will fill the space he leaves behind?

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This may have been the first goal of Inter da terzo a terzo, but the principles that made it possible have been developed over the past few months. It was on display in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Atlético Madrid, when Stefan de Vrij – from the center of the back three – went beyond the Spanish club’s defense and almost set up Marcus Thuram for the opening goal in after that. barely a quarter of an hour.

Inter’s 1-0 win in the Derby d’Italia last month was sealed by an own goal, which was caused, in part, by another of his defenders, Benjamin Pavard, trying to volley a scissor-kick inside the Juventus box. The Frenchman failed to connect but his action was due to the defender behind him misunderstanding the flight of the ball which bounced off Federico Gatti and into the goal.

This hints at another extraordinary aspect of Inzaghi’s Inter: the interchangeability of so many different players. Bastoni and Pavard are the first-choice starters on the left and right of defence, while Bisseck and Matteo Darmian provide cover. De Vrij and Francesco Acerbi can be switched without hesitation in the middle.

The same is true in the wing back positions. Denzel Dumfries and Darmian offer options for horses on the right: the latter a more diligent defender but the latter more of an attacking threat. Federico Dimarco has developed into an elite player on the left but Carlos Augusto has progressed so quickly since joining from Monza that Inzaghi can now rest the Italian without any worries.

Saturday’s game, a trip to Bologna, proved as tough a challenge as Inter could find at home. Thiago Motta’s side have won six on the bounce, including away games against Lazio and Atalanta, climbing to fourth in the table. They had not lost at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara since August.

This was not a crucial game for Inter. Already 15 points clear at the top of Serie A, they could be forgiven for prioritizing this week’s second leg against Atlético and Inzaghi made six changes to the starting XI that beat Genoa five days earlier.

But Inter could have scored several times before Bisseck broke the deadlock. Alexis Sánchez pulled a save from a narrow angle in the 10th minute, Darmian covered a wide shot in the 15th and Nicolò Barella fluffed one on one in the 21st. Lewis Ferguson forced Yann Sommer into action with a long-range shot at the other end but Inter were well worth their half-time lead.

Inzaghi’s side sat deeper in the second half, inviting Bologna perhaps more than they should have done. But Sommer only had to make one more save after the break, and an ordinary one at that. Across all competitions, he has now kept 23 clean sheets.

Parolo wasn’t around to remind Inzaghi of their conversation at full-time, but another post-match interviewer popped in to ask if he planned to buy any meals to celebrate the terzo a terzo goal. “More than one!” said the manager. “It’s hard to get a day off to plan dinner right now but we’ll have time.”

A moment to celebrate will come soon enough. As a result of Juventus’ draw with Bologna on Sunday Inter increased their advantage at the top of the league to 16 points. The prospect that they could seal their title against rivals Milan next month is starting to look real. With both teams level on 19 wins in Serie A, that would be something of a highlight in the race to see which of the city’s footballing cousins ​​will be first to affix the second golden star above their club crest.

Inzaghi said again on Saturday that this Scudetto is not in the bag yet. It is a difficult claim to take seriously. Inter have won 13 games in a row across all competitions and are on course for over 100 points. They score goals with combinations that once seemed like an exaggerated joke.

The Champions League is another matter, and even with a one-goal advantage Inter cannot take it for granted as they travel to Madrid. Parolo told Dazn: “I think Inter can go 50-50 with any of the big clubs in Europe, except maybe [Manchester] City.” Even then, just quietly, we might add that this Inter team is better than the one that gave the Premier League champions a close run in last year’s final.

Series A results

Napoli 1-1 Torino, Sassuolo 1-0 Frosinone, Cagliari 4-2 Salernitana, Bologna 0-1 Inter, Genoa 2-3 Monza, Lecce 0-1 Verona, AC Milan 1-0 Empoli, Juventus 2-2 Atalanta, Fiorentina 2-2 Roma