With five Serie A sides featuring across the semi-final first legs in UEFA’s various midweek competitions our Italian football expert is living his best life. And here he is with his review of the action.
By Matteo Bonetti, US Serie A expert
Inter’s incredible European day
It was a San Siro that once again lived up to its billing on the biggest of European nights. A stadium that has seen so many trophies and world class players, set the stage for an incredible Inter performance in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal against bitter city rivals, Milan.
Inter’s first half was a Simone Inzaghi masterclass. Taking full advantage of Rafael Leão not being fit enough to play, the Nerazzurri pressed much higher up the field and played with a high defensive line, as Milan didn’t have their usual talisman, who is such a threat on the counter. Inzaghi had two choices to make – Hakan Çalhanoğlu or Marcelo Brozović in the midfield and whether to go with Edin Džeko or Romelu Lukaku up front. The choices he ended up making – Çalhanoğlu and Džeko from the first minute, ended up looking like another superb decision from the Inter manager.
Džeko, who was inexplicably marked by Milan’s much shorter fullback Davide Calabria, was able to score a stunning volley from a corner. The Bosnian striker took full advantage of his height and strength advantage over the Rossoneri captain, showing his class and experience with a fantastic strike. The second goal came only three minutes later, as Inter split through Milan’s midfield and Henrikh Mkhitaryan made the most of his chance in the centre of the box by striking it right through Mike Maignan.
The two goals in rapid succession stunned a Milan side that looked poor throughout. Simply put, they just don’t have a dynamic difference maker without Leão. To make matters worse, Ismaël Bennacer picked up an injury in the first half and is now out for the rest of the season. The Algerian has taken up a more advanced role this calendar year under Stefano Pioli and was vital in Milan’s ability to knock Napoli out of the quarter-finals. Without Bennacer, Milan lack the calmness he often brings in possession and building out from the back.
What was most surprising is how physically stronger Inter were in the midfield, as the trident of Çalhanoğlu, Barella and Mkhitaryan had complete control of that area of the field. They won every 50/50 and took advantage of a very lenient referee that allowed play to continue in many occasions where others would’ve whistled a foul.
Inzaghi has had a knack this season of using his substitutions quite early, often removing the strikers and wing-backs in the second half without getting a dramatic drop off in quality. His ability to keep the positions that work the hardest, fresh with energy has paid dividends, with Inter firmly in the driver’s seat with one match to go until the final. The club has been in stunning form recently, with six straight wins in all competitions in a run that has seen them score 17 goals and only concede once.
At the moment, it feels like Milan will need a miracle to pull off a comeback.
Juventus rescue a draw at the death
Juventus were matched up with Europa League royalty in La Liga side Sevilla, and looked the weaker side for most of the home leg of their semi-final in Turin. Juve’s first half ended without a shot on goal and whistles from the entire Allianz Stadium. The issue was once again a lacklustre attack that failed to provide many chances for the striker. While the game was relatively open, Dušan Vlahović once again failed to make the most of his opportunities by squandering an important goal opportunity and losing possession too often. While this pragmatic Max Allegri system doesn’t seem to suit Vlahović well, there’s also plenty of blame the striker should be receiving, as he hasn’t made the most of the balls that come his way, no matter how few they are.
The lone bright spot in the Bianconeri outfield was the English winger Samuel Iling-Junior, who offered some much needed dynamism with his minutes. At only 19-years-old, he seems to have bags of confidence, as he tries to aggressively take on the defender with every ball that comes his way. Iling-Junior standing out is also a product of how mediocre the skill players around him can be. The biggest question going forward will be why the winger doesn’t start when his ability seemed to fill a desperate need for the club.
Sevilla on the other hand seemed to have a Europa League DNA of sorts. The club always looked in control and could’ve scored more than just the one in the first half. José Luis Mendilibar’s team built up possession easily and got into the final third at will, but just didn’t have the killer instinct to put the game away in the first half when Juventus provided no answers whatsoever.
Juve’s fortune to score on the last kick of the game, literally, will give them a chance going to the south of Spain. Federico Gatti’s header in the 97th minute was an important lifeline and already sets up a more defensive minded approach for Allegri to work with in the second leg.
Roma youngster steals the show
On a night where José Mourinho had to play a European semi-final with a tired team that has been injury plagued throughout the season, it was the Roman born youth product Edoardo Bove who stole the show.
The injuries that Roma have had to deal with this campaign have meant that Mourinho has had to tinker often. Paulo Dybala and Gini Wijnaldum, who were the two premier signings of last summer, haven’t been able to feature together often or for a consistent stretch of time. When they’re not playing, it’s put a lot of pressure on the likes of Lorenzo Pellegrini to be the sole creator. However, the youngster Bove was the one who stepped up and was able to drive forward from the midfield.
Part of Mourinho’s genius has been galvanising his squad into fully buying into every European tournament they get into. While the Europa League has grown in prestige and prize money, last season’s debut of the Conference League saw Roma take it seriously under Mourinho – even if it was a new trophy that carried no historical significance. His celebrations when the Giallorossi beat Feyenoord was reminiscent of the Portuguese manager being on the winning end of Europe’s most elite competition, but this is part of his genius as a manager – making the players feel like they’ve accomplished something truly important together and building unity within his team.
(images from IMAGO)
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