Inter-Lazio, the day of celebration. The day the cup was raised to the sky by captain Lautaro Martinez, after an unforgettable season. But there is also the field and the strictly tactical analysis to share.
Lazio starts better than Inter. The first 20 minutes are characterized by aggressive possession by the Biancocelesti who move the ball quickly from right to left looking for the right hole for Catellanos. Tudor gives up a sprinter like Anderson from the first minute to give the team more balance and his 3-4-2-1 is very fluid: Kamada often centralizes and takes up a position between Calhanoglu and Acerbi, where there is a some space to invent and hurt. His hybrid position creates the most problems for the Nerazzurri’s departments because they often don’t know who should shorten him. Castellanos keeps Acerbi busy by alternately trying to meet the ball or run deep to stretch the team. Marusic often comes up on the right, very aggressive, and Vecino also moves away from the 4-man line of midfielders to try some incursions and stress the Nerazzurri defense.
On the other hand, Inter closed together and then as the minutes passed they began to come out with the dribble and take control of the reins of the match, even if we can see that all the players are a little drained of the energy that accompanied this extraordinary ride. Darmian is more enterprising than usual and instead of being blocked he often gets up and plays very wide, pounding the sideline, trying to put some interesting balls in the middle. Pavard, the best, in addition to being defensively impeccable, also tries to move up the center-left and set up the action with Barella or Calhanoglu. On the other hand the left chain works well. Bastoni and Dimarco exchange often and at the right times. The left-footed winger then focuses on the attackers’ line, as he is now accustomed to doing, to look for one-twos and dangerous conclusions. In midfield the most reactive is Barella. He always looks for the ball and commands operations in the middle, also providing lungs and technique for Calhanoglu and Mkhitaryan, who are a little too staid and dull. Up front, Thuram mainly plays with his back to goal and is never able to restart and aim with quality. He wastes opportunities and isn’t clear. Lautaro isn’t at his best either, even if he works well as a link between the midfield and the attack and often focuses on depth to get the ball on the run. The arrival of Dumfries and Sanchez restores some sparkle and electricity to Inter, who from the middle of the second half are firmly positioned in Lazio’s half of the field in search of goals. However, Lazio closes very well, compact and tight, and restarts on the counterattack with great speed and quality. In the end the scoreboard reads 1-1. Fair result of an unforgettable match.
Riccardo Despali
