Antonio Conte

[Il Drago]

Say what you want, for once I have to agree with Conte, he said it well: we keep creating great chances, but strikers aren't clinical enough.

His job is to enforce a system that creates chances, that's all a manager can hope for at the end of the day. The system works. Obviously that system depends on one or two very, very key players without which we would be absolutely fucked - but it works. He has his favorites, some of his favorites are proven garbage players that routinely fuck up. But what manager doesn't have his favorites? Can you name an Inter manager from the past 25 years who didn't love irrationally deploying that one garbage player?

Goalkeepers tend to play games of their careers against us, so fucking what? That sure won't change any time soon so we best adapt.

Lukaku and Lautaro need to be way more ruthless in front of the goal. Sure he scored that penalty last night but he still missed plenty of decent chances. Lautaro at this point isn't even worth mentioning, his condition stopped being a slump months ago. In general I find their partnership vastly overrated, missing sitters like that will cost us dearly at the end of the season. It feels almost as if they are too comfortable and too lulled into the system. They know the chances will keep coming so they fail to stress the importance. It's the CL experience that tends to crash-course fix those habits, a string of matches where you only get one or two chances if you are lucky. If only we could get him some of that experience.

I know tensions are high, and I know Inter fans love having a scapegoat more than anything. And I will keep criticizing Conte for various things - Kolarov, Eriksen, Gagliardini, Radu, Pinamonti... various players that either should or shouldn't play. But to say that his football doesn't work is plain and simply false.

I partially agree. Unlike the start of the season where the main reason for our dropped points was the messy defence, now the reason we're dropping ponts is we aren't clinical enough in attack. But there are times his system doesn't work, there's no connection between the forwards, we barely create chances and we're expecting everything from Hakimi. That's when the problem starts. He's unwilling to try something different when his system doesn't work. The funny thing is when he switched to a diamond (Fiorentina, Cagliari and last night), it actually worked! Apart from pure stubborness, i can't understand the reason he isn't doing it more often.

 

[wera]

I agree that Conte's system actually works, but man are our main three attackers (Sanchez, Lukaku and Lautaro) are shit right now. And worst of all, Perišić can't dribble and can't cross. Young is a professor for him.

I hate that we can't manage this Milan without them getting a red card. Sooner or later our strikers need to wake up otherwise I want Lautaro and Sanchez out this summer.. that or selling Lukaku to Real.

 

[CafeCordoba]

We were better side in the first half, yet couldn't create huge chances. In the second half, well Milan defended pretty well with 10 men. Before the red, I don't remember us being that good.

Point is we have troubles against sides who just defend. And risk counter attacks way too much. We move the ball too slowly and there isn't that "fantasia", that magic which would create us chances out of the blue sky. Conte has built a great system, which works good against teams who really play. We defend effectively, don't give that much away and then hit decisively in counters. But this doesn't work when we face opponents who just defend. Our system isn't built to produce free flowing football.

And we don't seem to have a clear plan B, apart from the occasional 4-3-3 switch which has happened way too rarely. IMO we should go for that route and train it properly so we can switch to that easily whenever needed. Pretty sure there will be a lot of games at the second part of the season where teams just defend against us and we need to have keys to unlock such games.

And yeah, of course Conte cannot do much to these guys who just can't finish those scoring opportunities.

 

[rockball]

We do struggle against teams who defend deep. In general most teams would struggle, but then our game plan is too easy for them to defend against.

One problem is our wingbacks become useless. Hakimi's best asset is his pace and how he can run at defenders. That gets nullified, and he isn't the best at crossing.

On the other flank, all our options are right footed so they don't put in many quality balls as well.

Now even if they end up crossing, we usually have only Lautaro in the box. Lukaku is often near the edge helping to hold up the ball and bring others in play.

Then we have to rely on midfielders making runs to take headers, and of the current lot, only Vidal or Gagliardini can do that. Not that they are particularly good at it..

The other to break down a defence is through the middle, and we suck there. That requires good control, interplay, and tuning between our players. This is just not there. Players like Ronaldo-Morata-Dybala have the ability, or even those from Milan. But in our team this skill just isn't there.

Only way it can happen is Sanchez and Eriksen both play together, and consistently to develop that understanding. But that isn't going to happen.

So we have to struggle with our Conte-non-ball and hope to wear down teams, and hope not to concede stupidly.

 

[Bluenine]

I agree that Conte's system actually works, but man are our main three attackers (Sanchez, Lukaku and Lautaro) are shit right now. And worst of all, Perišić can't dribble and can't cross. Young is a professor for him.

I would qualify that - Conte's system works when we have all our key players available and we are not playing against a team which defends deep and well; ie thats when Conte's Plan A works. The big problem we have is that we don't have a credible plan B, partly coz Conte seems incapable of anything different and partly coz we still have gaps in our squad (due to financial constraints).

So we have games like yesterday and the one against Juve, where our Plan A worked beautifully. And we also have games like Udinese, where plan A did not work and Conte was clueless to effect change.

 

[bubba zanetti]

We should play 4-1-2-1-2 against udinese type teams. Handa-Hakimi, Skriniar, Devrij, Bastoni-Broz-Barella,Vidal-Eriksen-Lukaku,Cuntauro(in form). Against Rube and stronger teams current 3-5-2 works.

 

[nurko]

Conte tactics (not a joke)

https://twitter.com/footballitalia/status/1353110773841723395?s=20

That makes Handa asshole?

 

[Nyall]

Eriksen's brilliance wins the game yet Conte and his shit system that has us out of Europe gets praised and declared "working".


Imagine how the game vs Shaktar would have turned out if he had been given more than a few minutes? Same with the game against Sevilla.

 

[wera]

I believe we had this debate after last season and it still holds true. Conte's system is good enough to win games in Serie A, but in Europe it's just not clicking.

He deserves some praise at least for how he handles Serie A no matter how much he fails in CL. But he is paid to do that

 

[Pimpin]

Eriksen's brilliance wins the game yet Conte and his shit system that has us out of Europe gets praised and declared "working".


Imagine how the game vs Shaktar would have turned out if he had been given more than a few minutes? Same with the game against Sevilla.

their keeper had 12 saves, ours ZERO.

 

[armin_z]

their keeper had 12 saves, ours ZERO.

that is unacceptable, we need a new keeper

 

[Fitzy]

Just had a thought.

Imagine if Modric was signed a couple of years ago, and then the rest still happened.

 

[wera]

I'll be the first to say this since nobody else is. How are we winning 4-0 and still being shit in attack more than 80% of the game.

Kudos to Conte for starting Eriksen tho.

 

[Pajo]

He wasnt on the bench and we finally had an easy game

 

[varmin]

I'll be the first to say this since nobody else is. How are we winning 4-0 and still being shit in attack more than 80% of the game.

Kudos to Conte for starting Eriksen tho.

I thought that people want an easy and non-dramatic game. You got it, so don't complain. Save it for the next match.

Yep, we are utterly toothless. Let us thank to Benevento's shitty defense.

 

[Candreva Crosses]

"Easy game", that striker was manhandling ranocchia before that own goal came in. Many chances to score 1-1 too.

 

[Pimpin]

Many chances to score 1-1 too.

are you on crack? what game were you watching?

they had zero shots on target or off target

 

[bubba zanetti]

Great setup,managing and subs by Stellini. Better than Cunte in whole fkn season

 

[Shark]

I'll be the first to say this since nobody else is. How are we winning 4-0 and still being shit in attack more than 80% of the game.

Kudos to Conte for starting Eriksen tho.

I said it a few weeks ago

It's so weird that for large portions of games it feels like the attack is ridiculously incapable of scoring, yet we are the highest goalscoring team in the league.

 

[Candreva Crosses]

are you on crack? what game were you watching?

they had zero shots on target or off target

Before that own goal they were making disco with ranocchia and both you and me know what can happen from nowhere against us. The fuck are you talking about? We were missing everything. We are lucky that we got an own goal. Would be really hard otherwise.