Inter - Arsenal (6 Nov 24) [1-0]

[BAM BAM]

Great win! As I mention from time to time, we need to win this type of games where we suffer and grind. So far the hardest stretch of games looks good on the results and our ability to rotate and still make it.
The performance wasn't too convincing but it's still against major premier league side and us resting some key players and still winning is a statement.
Napoli is a massive game and I think we can throw them to "Conte's self destructive shit storm" mode if we win this ,after Atalanta thrashing them.
Forza Inter!

 

[dax21]

Bisseck MOTM but Darmian and DeVrij are not getting enough credit, not just last night but in general. Yes they are limited players but the things they do well they do really well when it's needed.
Frattesi again showing very little, I want to like him but when it comes to us forcing our football onto a strong opponent he is as useful as Gagliardini, as much as I don't want to state that.

Ironically I feel like these ultra defensive games are gaining us respect of the abroad fans a lot more than when we play flashy football.

 

[Il Drago]

Hmm

Next Inter Jections episode is gonna be fun

 

[Il Drago]

Two things can be true. It was a completely underwhelming performance in many ways, which was to be expected with so many reserves out there. We were also excellent defensively and while Arsenal had a ton of set pieces, they had very few excellent chances. This felt more like last season's version of Inter.

I'll take the smash and grab victory. We're well rested for the Napoli match. We're in the driver's seat to make the UCL top eight.

Nothing but positives to take away from this one.

 

[Il Drago]

Ironically I feel like these ultra defensive games are gaining us respect of the abroad fans a lot more than when we play flashy football.

I agree with the rest but not with this. After last night performance you can read lots of comments about typical Italians who can only sit deep and defend and waste time once they score. I even saw a post about the number of corners

Not that opinions of casuals really matter. At the end of the day only thing that matters is the result.

 

[Black Knight]

Thoughts from having been at the stadium:

- In the pre-match warm-up, most of our players were shooting against Di Gennaro in goal from the edge of the box. I shit you not, less than a quarter of the shots were even on target.

- Having two right-footed players defend our left flank was, in hindsight, a masterstroke. With Ødegaard out, Saka is Arsenal's only creative threat, and being left-footed, he wants to cut in, so he was facing our defenders' strong foot. Sure, it meant the left flank was non-existent offensively, and we saw that when Bisseck had that run forward and tried to cut in and lost the ball. A left-footed defender would have probably shot at goal (and failed to hit the target).

- I don't know how visible it was on TV, but for each of Arsenal's 100 corners, Raya was really far up. In some cases, beyond the halfway line. I was hoping for a Dimarco-Frosinone bis, but we seemed uninterested in that.

- The pitch, as always, is a disgrace.

 

[Kenny]

There will always be people who doesnt understand the beauty of Catenaccio, to me this type of defending brings a tear to my eye, its fucking perfection.

 

[Il Drago]

Similar way to beat Arsenal like we did Barcelona two years ago. Hakan penalty goal in 45'+ and just keep a clean sheet in the second half. Arteta wasn't near a crybaby as Xavi was that night though lol

Guess you haven't seen his post match press conference. Crying about a penalty not being given.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1854421816216785106

Also posting a screenshot since we have an issue with embedding tweets lately:

 

[.h.]

There will always be people who doesnt understand the beauty of Catenaccio, to me this type of defending brings a tear to my eye, its fucking perfection.

Yeah. It's not something I want to see week in week out but in a game where we've rotated & are the "underdogs", I'll fucking take it

 

[DARi0]

0 goals conceeded in CL, 13 goals conceeded in the league lol

Proof that it's about their mental attitude and approach of the match.

Last evening they were "ON" from the beginning while in many Serie A encounters the boys were just jogging around, underestimating their opponents.

This is on demone to fix and keep their motivation under control.

 

[dax21]

I agree with the rest but not with this. After last night performance you can read lots of comments about typical Italians who can only sit deep and defend and waste time once they score. I even saw a post about the number of corners

Not that opinions of casuals really matter. At the end of the day only thing that matters is the result.

You said it yourself, opinions of casuals. People who seem to know a thing or two about football are all raving about how organized our defense is and talking great things about anonymous Bisseck. Arsenal forum are giving us big compliments.

 

[Il Drago]

Gazzetta ratings:

 

[bubba zanetti]

Gazzetta ratings:

What, Zielinski was solid yesterday, 6.5 should be his rating,minimum 6. 5,5 is too harsh.

 

[wera]

And Conte won us scudetto playing like that majority of games. You are just sour cause Limone does great job in CL.

Not the same since we were also a top2 scoring side in both Conte seasons, which some of you keep forgetting. Maybe the football was rigid, but the game results looked a lot better than just grinding 1-0 wins.

CL under Conte..well that is a different story

 

[Il Drago]

Not the same since we were also a top2 scoring side in both Conte seasons, which some of you keep forgetting. Maybe the football was rigid, but the game results looked a lot better than just grinding 1-0 wins.

CL under Conte..well that is a different story

People can't distiguish between counter attacking football and an ultra defensive football of 1-0 wins. When we won Scudetto with Conte we had scored 89 goals in the league. In Inzaghi years we managed to EQUAL that number only last season.

Conte ball ≠ Allegri ball

 

[Glass box]

Guess you haven't seen his post match press conference. Crying about a penalty not being given.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1854421816216785106

Also posting a screenshot since we have an issue with embedding tweets lately:

View attachment 13444

Didn't notice that (Sommer's punch). Fwiw Arteta could've get a red for interfering with play while the ball was on the field.

 

[Il Drago]

Didn't notice that (Sommer's punch). Fwiw Arteta could've get a red for interfering with play while the ball was on the field.

He's referring to this.

Of course it's no penalty because Sommer actually hits the ball.

 

[_Ivan_]

Proof that it's about their mental attitude and approach of the match.

Last evening they were "ON" from the beginning while in many Serie A encounters the boys were just jogging around, underestimating their opponents.

This is on demone to fix and keep their motivation under control.

And Napoli is perfect candidate. I hope we learned all mistakes from this seasons' Juve and Milan fixtures.
This match will be the toughest one so far since it's Conte on the other side. He built foundations of this team, now it's time to face it

 

[CraigM]

The line-up looked as if Inzaghi would be happy to take a draw for this game and most of the first-half emphasised that with both sides seemingly happy to play a low-key draw with an eye on big domestic games at the weekend. The penalty obviously turned things round and upped the intensity with Inter having something to grimly hold on to and Arsenal obliged to press higher and chase the game.

Hakan showed how much we missed him in his hour on the pitch and, as he understandably tired, so Inter's capacity to play out of defence and get up the field fell away, but the defence was just excellent. Darmian is a player I have such respect for - he's like a mini Zanetti who can be picked to play anywhere and quietly and efficiently puts in solid performances whatever is asked of him. I had not loved Bisseck at left centre back before but boy did it work last night. Him playing there means he can't really surge forward in the same way and that allowed him to focus on the defensive side, which he did incredibly diligently. Being a right-footed player up against the very left-footed Saka (esecially doubling up with right-footed Darmian) worked really well too and was reminiscent of Zanetti keeping Messi quiet in the same way back in 2010.

Last night was a perfect environment for De Vrij. He's a fairly classic old-school defender who is happiest sitting very deep and relentlessly heading or kicking clear balls into the box. Obviously in most other games he is expected to play a lot higher up the pitch and can toil with that, but a perfect player for the way last night went. Also I thought it was the best performance I've seen by Dumfries for ages. When he's pumped up and imposing his considerable physicality on opponents he looks such a good player and he was involved in everything last night.

The rest, well Lautaro dropped deep and sprayed some nice passes. Taremi works incredibly hard but game after game I wonder if we will ever see him even get a decent chance, yet alone a goal, just as I wonder if Frattesi will ever get involved in games despite all that running he somehow does.

I was listening to a BBC podcast reviewing the game and while they admired Inter's defending, the participants seemed to think that their ambitions were way too modest. They discussed the interest in Inzaghi in England and suggested that his austere style of football would not prove too popular which showed how little they really knew about the subject they were offering up opinions on.

There was no recognition that this was a deliberately-weakened Inter team and also, much more pertinently, that while everyone knows Inter as a big club I think it is easily forgotten in England that it's a big club with a small club budget.

 

[Campione]

To be honest, I did not like our ultra defensive approach in the second half but knowing we have Napoli on Sunday, I could understand Inzaghi. Actually, once I saw the line-up, it was obvious that he will be OK with a draw and his mind is on the Serie A game.

It's funny how we haven't conceeded a goal in CL yet, while our defence is shaky as hell in Serie A.

I have been bashing Bisseck since the start of the season but last night he had a monster game. Hats off.