Posted by After the first 60 minutes of this tense affair in Udine, Inter’s Serie A title hopes were disintegrating. The Nerazzuri looked sluggish, and were struggling to create clear-cut openings despite the presence of new signing Christian Eriksen. Udinese, meanwhile, were wreaking havoc on the counterattack through Stefano Okaka. Furthermore, new Inter man Victor Moses was having a torrid time on the right with left wing-back Ken Sema. The home side looked the more likely winners heading into the final stages of a match that Inter had to win to stay within striking distance of league-leaders Juventus.
Inter had been at the top of the table mere weeks ago, following a 3-1 win at Napoli’s intimidating Estadio San Paolo on January 6th. With Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martínez forming a deadly strike partnership and the title-winning experience of new coach Antonio Conte, Inter had a serious chance to break Juventus’ record run of eight straight Serie A titles.
Things have since gone pear-shaped for the Nerazurri, however. Inter had drawn their last three Serie A matchups before visiting Udinese, taking the lead in all three games before conceding an equalizer in the final 15 minutes. The pressure applied by Juventus and surprise title contenders Lazio was beginning to wear on the spiky Conte, who refused to speak to reporters following the most recent stalemate against Cagliari.
Conte exacerbated recent run-ins with the press with his tactical set-up in Udine, starting 17-year old forward Sebastiano Esposito in the place of the more experienced Alexis Sánchez. In only his 5th appearance with the Nerazzuri, Esposito was peripheral throughout, and missed his only clear chance when he scuffed a weak shot into the arms of a grateful Juan Musso early in the second half. Furthermore, Conte handed Eriksen his first start in the place of Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozović, who had been the main source of midfield creativity all season for Inter. Without Brozović, Inter lacked incisive build-up play from deep. As a result, Eriksen struggled to get on the ball in his first Serie A match.
Despite Conte’s tactical mistakes, he proved why he’s one of the world’s best managers by correcting those errant decisions. In the 58th minute, with the game still scoreless, Conte made a double substitution, taking off Eriksen and Esposito for Brozović and Sánchez. Brozović’s introduction allowed Nicoló Barella to move from defensive midfield to a more natural number 8 role, while fellow midfielder Matías Vecino was also given license to push forward. Meanwhile, Alexis’ introduction brought Lukaku to life, with the stocky Belgian suddenly looking dangerous with his link play.
The tactical tweaks helped create the crucial opening goal for Lukaku in the 64th minute. Brozović picked a beautiful pass between the lines for Barella, who controlled wonderfully just outside the box before poking the ball into the path of Lukaku. The former Manchester United striker took a touch to compose himself before placing a low, left-footed shot through the legs of defender Bram Nuytinck and past goalkeeper Musso.
Inter were in the ascendancy, and the much-maligned Alexis settled the match a few minutes later. The Chilean star, beset by injuries during his loan spell in Milan, turned sharply past center-back Sebastien De Maio before getting a lucky deflection off of Rodrigo Becão that sent him through on goal. As he rounded Musso, Sanchez was hacked down to hand Inter a penalty, which Lukaku duly converted for the 0-2. From there, Inter were content to sit back and maintain their clean sheet, despite facing some Udinese pressure in the final 10 minutes.
The smash-and-grab victory lifted Inter into second again, two points ahead of Lazio and only three behind Juventus. The coming weeks will be decisive for the Nerazzuri. They play Milan in the Derby della Madonnina on February 9th before visiting Lazio on February 16th and Juventus on March 1st. By the end of the Derby d’Italia against Juventus, it will be clear whether or not Inter have a chance of winning their first Serie A title since 2010.
In the interim, Conte will have to draw on all his experience to manage the incorporation of Eriksen. One of the world’s most talented attacking midfielders, Conte would have to modify his system to fit the former Tottenham man into his starting 11. Although Eriksen’s ability might merit this switch, Inter were far more effective here with the less-elaborated build-up that they used after the Dane was taken off. Inter’s struggle for fluidity in recent weeks needs a solution, but sticking with the same tactics might be a better plan than trying to shoehorn Eriksen into the side.
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