Inter - Bari (23 Aug 09)

[bennyblanco]

Quaresma was actually good, he took on players and played some smart passes. If we can incorporate Sneijder into this lineup instead of Stankovic we actually have a complete team.

lol Mikey,thanx for brightining up my morning..RQ was anything but good..
the boy tried to cross with his left foot once...it went 5 meters behind the goal...all of his crosses were poor for a pro player...none found the mark

i agree with the Sneijder comment...its better than what we have now.. and Stankovic could slot instead of JZ or RQ anywhere in the midfield..

Mourinho could have bought 3 AM's by now...and 3 left footed players...

 

[DIN011]

Actually Quaresma managed to cross with his left twice. 1 was awful the other 1 was decent.

 

[blackmore]

lol Mikey,thanx for brightining up my morning..RQ was anything but good..
the boy tried to cross with his left foot once...it went 5 meters behind the goal...all of his crosses were poor for a pro player...none found the mark

i agree with the Sneijder comment...its better than what we have now.. and Stankovic could slot instead of JZ or RQ anywhere in the midfield..

Mourinho could have bought 3 AM's by now...and 3 left footed players...

could have would have should have but didnt....

 

[bennyblanco]

Actually Quaresma managed to cross with his left twice. 1 was awful the other 1 was decent.

i counted 3 crosses with his left and they were all irregular to put it at best,if you cant find 3 of your players heads from 20 meters out then you shouldnt cross...and why should he be using the trivela,favela,ghetto flick with his RIGHT FOOT when all he has to do is find a HEAD in the box..

could have would have should have but didnt....

and whats that supposed to mean?if you are writing poetic justice leave it to some other thread and occasion..i seriously dont want to banter

if you are going to blame anybody than its Mourinho,2 years in a row he cant see that Inters weak spot is the left flank and then the AM position..

why are people so ignorant and think that Mourinho is the epitomy of this team,last year he had Mancios team and i reserved opinion but if anyone is to blAame then its squarly Mourinho from now on...

our replacement left back is also right footed and besides Muntari we havent a left footed player..

 

[Nyall]

Most of our midfielders lack vison and great passing ability (though Zanetti is fine with his short passes, he just can't make any long or incisive passes), so there would be no change.

He's still our worse player in those aspects.

 

[Nyall]

I'm very disappointed with this result.. This game proved me what I was affraid of.. With 40% new squad, we could easily lose winning mentality.. With Ibra, we would easily win these kind of games..

Well, I hope guys prove me wrong in the future, but we are going to have problems this season.. After 1st round we are already behind our rivals..

That is far from the truth. These were the exactly the kind of games we struggled with when we had Ibra.

 

[Principe]

I didn't feel like writing anything earlier due to frustration and clouded judgement that I didn't want to let out, however I think I'm in the right state of mind to contribute to what we saw earlier today.

I know it's very frustrating to wait all summer long and to start off with a draw to a new team, but the way I'd like to look at this is without the end result in order to make a conclusion of how the team performed.

The starting formation on paper was good, except for the inclusion of Materazzi that seemed out of the ordinary and I deem a mistake, Materazzi shouldn't be and isn't starting material, he's great when you have injuries on your side or as a regular back up. But the man is susceptible of committing pointless fouls outside the box, getting yellow/red cards and thus leaving the team vulnerable and also is at times terrible at positioning. In fact that last point was proven in the ball where he also decided to jump leaving his man free, and that could have led to a 1-on-1 situation with the keeper had the player not stop or slow down.

However, Bari decided to park the bus (which is understandable and expected of them), and the midfield wasn't able to press them early in the 1st half. Also the fact that Muntari who didn't have a bad game just didn't seem to be in the game physically either due to fatigue or some other reason and that created a gap between midfield and strikers (which Eto'o pointed out early in the game). So we ended up playing 4-3-3 which caused the team to press more but in return we lacked any player in the middle right behind the strikers (which showed in many attacks when there were no options or players in that part of the pitch).

The first half was unimaginative and horrible, however the second half especially with the switch to 4-2-4 actually somewhat did the trick and we began pressing them better and that led to the penalty and the chance that Eto'o should have scored (had he did we'd be talking about a different game in this thread). I don't think it was a bad decision to switch to such a formation against Bari because looking at the team that we have/had there was no other option that could have helped us press them higher into their part of the pitch.

Lucio, who had a very solid first half seems to have forgotten that we only have 2 midfielders and kept pushing up even after the switch to 4-2-4 and after our 1st goal, and the gap he left in the back is what led to the goal. Other than that I don't fault him for anything because he was solid in the back and also good at moving the ball forward. Which brings me to another thing I noticed which frustrated me, whenever Lucio brought the ball up Motta or in other cased I think it was Stankovic or Muntari just wouldn't move forward, he literally would run or walk the ball past the halfway line and he'd have Motta stuck right beside him deeming this whole movement pointless. Had any of the midfielders actually ran up in order to receive the ball deeper in the opposition half we may have had 2 or 3 extra chances in this game and maybe done something with it.

Another thing is, for the people who are frustrated at Zanetti, I was shocked that he was beaten twice by Alvarez and couldn't keep up with his pace, but to defend him, he started marking him better later on (causing Alvarez to switch position) and at his age it'll take time until he can reach his best form especially when it comes to pace. Also he wasn't receiving adequate cover from the midfield but when you only have 2 midfielders there's not much you can expect. So I wouldn't be too worried unless he keeps playing like this in the next 4 games or so, but I think now that he's had his first official match he'll only get better.

Another thing I noticed and I don't know if anybody else has, was that Maicon really wasn't giving his all. I have no idea what the reason behind this is, it could be that it's the start of the season although I've seen him do this in the pre-season games, but he just isn't the tank he used to be. He was somewhat lethargic when going forward (as opposed to his quick runs down the flanks), but what annoyed me the most is he was taking twice as much time as he usually does in dropping back to help defend. I really don't know what it is about him but he just isn't the same player who played neither last year nor the confederations cup and I just can't wrap my head around it. It's not that he isn't doing well, he did help but way below expectations and definitely nowhere near the beast he was in the previous 2 seasons, everything about him seemed somewhat slow.

BUT, if there's one thing I took from this game in a positive note, is that the way or style that is being played seems potentially better. Potentially we have much more options as the team is trying to do much more than just boot the ball to a certain player and wait for him to come up with a flash of genius. But to reach that potential the team needs to increase the pace, they should play atleast 1.5 times faster than they currently do. They should push the ball up at a quicker pace and move it faster in general. I'm not talking Barca fast or Barca creative, but just not so predictable and so 1-dimensional that even with all the possession and passing we'll need a flash of genius to score. Eto'o and Milito do link well and that's great to see and as they get to know each other more and play with each other more I'm sure we'll see more great stuff from them two. I also think the addition of Sneijder if anything will atleast increase the impact we have in the middle through shots which will push defenders to not fall back as much and in the case where they do push on Sneijder to block a shot it will free other midfielders.

I think that we can create and play much better than we did in the previous years. All it takes is for this team to gel together quickly and play a bit faster and if that happens we'll see a great team both in their starting line up and back ups...

 

[lonewolf19]

STUPID BARI!!!!

 

[rfU]

Another thing is, for the people who are frustrated at Zanetti, I was shocked that he was beaten twice by Alvarez and couldn't keep up with his pace, but to defend him, he started marking him better later on (causing Alvarez to switch position) and at his age it'll take time until he can reach his best form especially when it comes to pace. Also he wasn't receiving adequate cover from the midfield but when you only have 2 midfielders there's not much you can expect. So I wouldn't be too worried unless he keeps playing like this in the next 4 games or so, but I think now that he's had his first official match he'll only get better.

WHy so much hate against Javier "the man" Zanetti?? Does no one realize that Alvarez is like the fastest man in serie A? And well pointed out that he wasn't getting much help from the midfield, it's very difficult defending 1-on-1 when a pacy winger is running at you with the ball.

 

[La Bling]

It seems like we had the major majority of possession, anyone have a stat?

Quaresma actually seemed pretty decent, especially at the end. He kept crossing it in, and it's not his fault that there were only 1-2 people in the box.

Every time Bari would clear the ball (corner kick, etc) it would go to a Bari striker. That's not supposed to happen. It's supposed to go back to our single back playing all the way back, who then puts it back in the box. I have absolutely no idea why this was happening.

Other than that, we seemed pretty fine to me, except for the finishing, and real lack of a dominating player.

Who watched the game on FSC? I still can't get over the horrible video quality. Also, Mark Rogondino, who normally just does the pre-game, did the whole game. It was awful. At one point he referred to Sampdoria as Samp-a-doria. He constantly pronounced it May-con (Maicon) and there were long periods in which he said nothing.

 

[i_inter]

I dont know why people are bashing Quaresma. He had some bad crosses especially his left foot but overall a very good performance, even better if you take into account last year. When he gets more confidence his trivela will work better and it wont make much of a difference when he plays left or right. What worries me most is his confidence and/or our stupid fans.

He has better control today and didnt give away easy balls like last year.

IMO, Eto'o didnt do any better. He hung on to the ball too long a few times and missed chances.

Zanetti shouldnt go bak to midfield as we already have Cuchu. Zanetti just doesnt complement Cuchu at all. Motta did very well even though he missed a half chance and that mispass at the end. Stanko (who usually sux as an AM) impressed me too in the second half as a CM.

Zanetti wasnt beaten for pace, he was just too slow on the turn, as in slow reflex which is expected for someone of his age. I agree with Prince that Zanetti will take time to get back his fitness and probably will perform. But this is clearly a sign that age is catching up with him. Lucky we have a star in the making.

Vieira wasnt too effective but he didnt suck either, which is a very very good sign because we will need him when Cuchu is still out.

PS: Im with Prince again when it comes to our potential, we have 4 new faces, new tactics, lost the 2 most influential players and Maicon wasnt at his best. We are the start of a new road now and it will take time.

 

[rockball]

My observations on the game -

Eto'o was poor. Except for the penalty and the sitter miss, he wasn't too active. Milito did get involved a bit.

Stankovic was very good. Not as AM but when slotted as DM, he was everywhere. Motta had an off day and couldn't get simple passes right.

Maicon wasn't his usual self. We do count on him a lot. There was no attacking threat on left from Zanetti. Barely did I see him venture in the other half. Something needs to change here. In fact, his poor performance amplified Quaresma's. Quaresma and Balotelli didn't have any support from the fullbacks. Both of them tried to take on defenders with woeful results. Their crosses were even worse. Even with plenty of time, they couldn't get the crosses right. Quaresma showed more confidence with his tricks but no output.

 

[CafeCordoba]

I dont know why people are bashing Quaresma. He had some bad crosses especially his left foot but overall a very good performance, even better if you take into account last year. When he gets more confidence his trivela will work better and it wont make much of a difference when he plays left or right. What worries me most is his confidence and/or our stupid fans.

He has better control today and didnt give away easy balls like last year.

I don't know why people are praising Quaresma. He didn't produce anything. That one trivela which almost went to Eto'o but other than that it was just bullshit from him. His job is to create chances or score goals, but he keeps playing below the expected level. Maybe we expect too much of him and his level is really this or then he's underperforming. Considering last season, I'm leaning towards the former option.

 

[i_inter]

I don't know why people are praising Quaresma. He didn't produce anything. That one trivela which almost went to Eto'o but other than that it was just bullshit from him. His job is to create chances or score goals, but he keeps playing below the expected level. Maybe we expect too much of him and his level is really this or then he's underperforming. Considering last season, I'm leaning towards the former option.

After what happened last year, you are clearly expecting too much.

The whole team didnt play well, what did you expect from the worst player last year? He couldnt adapt for six months, was booed at every single touch by our own stupid/ and ignorant fans. You think a few pre-season games can change that? It takes time dude, and what I saw was positive.

Put it this way, his crosses were off, but he did take on defenders with SOME success, drawing fouls and drawing them to the left. IMHO, Eto'o didnt fair any better, if anything he was worse cos he missed an easy chance. Javier was even worse, clumsy in defense and couldnt go forward.

So there you go, Quaresma wasnt brilliant but he showed improvement, lots actually, and what is the point criticizing an improving player? Be optimistic buddy

 

[Ziyad]

First of all Bari were absolutely fantastic and disciplined throughout the game.This doesnt mean we shouldnt have won but i have to give them credit as they almost won it towards the end.

As for Mou he made a couple of mistakes,probably underestimating the side like some here who wanted a thrashing by including Lucio with Matrix.Two players that shouldnt play together and probably havent at all in the preseason except for a few minutes maybe in the Bahrain match(i dont know i couldnt watch it).Matrix went for the same ball almost cost us the opening goal.

Second mistake IMHO is totally out of Jose character i thought,and that is pushing forward after the goal against a side that is comfortable sitting back and playing on the counter.I see no reason for that at all.We should have been forcing them to come out of their half for the ball to create more space and then attack them.Mou thought lets go for the kill even though it was better to control the game.Another bad decision.We played right into their hands...:thumbsdo:

Third mistake was before the second timewise but not in importance.We ended the first half brilliantly,and the courage to take Muntari off immediately was what i like about Jose.Unfortunately the impatience and same courage to take Viera out was bad IMHO. He should have waited this time around,as it wasnt a case of Viera playing badly,but a case of throwing more weight upfront immediately.Patience was required here as we still had lots of time to score.Its not that RQ wasnt a good sub(I actually think he started badly and then improved with more touches) but that the balance in midfield was GONE!!!!

This 4-2-4 has got to stop.Especially when the two wingers upfront dont defend,and the back two arent young,fast,or on the same wavelength with a foul away from being red carded.Also the fact that JZ kept being burnt by them didnt help..This created lots of pressure on Stan and Motta to run all over the place ineffectively many times and therefore lots of energy wasted on a hot day...4-2-4 Can be used again but not with 45 minutes remaining and us not being behind !!!!:nono:

As for RQ i thought he is getting better.Just the tale of the half he had sums up the player here.He messes up,shows alot of the ball but then everything clicks the more he touches the ball.WHile some were reluctant at first to pass to him,it seemed later on that it was the right thing to do.I thought however he should have been utilized on the right and SMB on the left probably been better.At least change sides so he could manage better crosses..

Anyways this loss of 2 points isnt the end of the world.Its not the first time it happens.BUt i think it should teach us some humility,and work better for the derby...I hope i dont hear people here predicting a thrashing again:rollani:

 

[Jimmy Page]

There is no way anyone can be satisfied with Quaresmas performance, he sucked, he hasnt progressed at all since last year. Fucking hell

 

[CafeCordoba]

There is no way anyone can be satisfied with Quaresmas performance, he sucked, he hasnt progressed at all since last year. Fucking hell

Remember there are a lot of strange people here in this forum who deeply wants to see something which isn't really there. Still waiting for a one good act of performance from Quaresma. A goal, an assist or a good read of play. Something, anything like that!

 

[Luka]

What did Mario do yesterday?

Why I'm bringing him? Beause with Quaresma it is this rule, that he has to do wonders. He has yet lot to prove, he was after all expensive signing, but with this kind of attitude, he will never make it. Somebody said one time, that at Barca they welcome anybody coming to the club, no matter what. Here, Quaresma was portrated as a superstar, and when it was seen he is in bad period, it started to get ugly. Mancini did the same as Quaresma last year, he ain't booed.

If this year was his first year, I think the fans wouldn't be so bad on him, because comparing this performance to his last years first performance, I think this one was a lot better.

IMO he will never make it, because the atmosphere surrounding him is not repearable at the moment. He would have to start playing like Messi, doing assist after assist, also goals, and with his personality, and lack of self confidence, the fans are doing it even worse.

I think that in next club(probably smaller than Inter), he will again play great. That's why I hoped he will go to Genoa, it would be a lot better to him, because he would got this start of 6-8 games without fans judging him.

...

I'm not amazed by Quaresma, but there are improvements. First is his moving, he isn't slugish, and second his dribbling. Nobody can tell me, it is the same as last year. Last year he couldn't beat a man in 1 on 1, no matter what. Yesterday he did.

Also the ball to Milito with Trivela, was a very decent one. If deffender wouldn't cut it, it might as well be a goal, because Eto'o was waiting behind.

His passing was also improved.

The end product is missing, but it is different than last year.

And Cafe, the way I see it, it is others who doesn't see something that is there If it was one person it could be understandable, but it is couple of people who see the difference. So I can say exactly the same you did, but it's not universal.

I would give him 6, tops 6.5 for his last day performance, but knowing Gazzetta it will be 5,5 at most, maybe even 5 again.

ps. At Inter.it, Quaresma got 4th rating from the top, higher than Lucio even, and those ratings were always very low for Quaresma. I'm not bringing this as a proof or something. that I'm right, and others are wrong. But I think it shows a little, that people actually saw Quaresma differently, and for people saying nothing changed, in my opinion is very harsh and not true.

 

[Interista nr.1]

My observations on the game -

Eto'o was poor. Except for the penalty and the sitter miss, he wasn't too active. Milito did get involved a bit.

Stankovic was very good. Not as AM but when slotted as DM, he was everywhere. Motta had an off day and couldn't get simple passes right.

Maicon wasn't his usual self. We do count on him a lot. There was no attacking threat on left from Zanetti. Barely did I see him venture in the other half. Something needs to change here. In fact, his poor performance amplified Quaresma's. Quaresma and Balotelli didn't have any support from the fullbacks. Both of them tried to take on defenders with woeful results. Their crosses were even worse. Even with plenty of time, they couldn't get the crosses right. Quaresma showed more confidence with his tricks but no output.

Agree with most of it, but playing 4-2-4 you can't except Maicon and J.Z. going forward much,because than it would be like 2-6-2.

 

[Handoyo]

Good posts, Prince, Ziyad & Luka. It's a joy to come to the forums, regardless of Inter's result, to read good analysis like those.