The new Inter ideology is a paradigm shift from the normal Inter we all are familiar with. Last season, the Nerazzurri were by far the best defensive outfit in the league. Which was further powered by the Lukaku Lautaro duo scoring important goals to power wins. A strong defence is something Antonio Conte has built his reputation on, over the years. The former Italy and Juventus boss likes to keep clean sheets at all costs. With the likes of Stefan de Vrij, Milan Skriniar and young but prolific Alessandro Bastoni Inter are a strong defensive unit. Thus, is the absence of Diego Godin from last season so large that Inter’s defence is now in shambles? That’s probably not the case with the Nerazzurri.
The Italian Game
Football in Italy is very different from the rest of Europe. And that is very much visible when Italian clubs play on the European stage. There are rock-solid defences and the use of a back-three every now and then. Italian clubs can be a nightmare to score against for others in Europe. That’s where the conception that you need a strong defence to win the Scudetto comes from. While last season Inter were the best defensively, the club often failed to score important goals. This meant dropping the necessary points to compete with Juventus. While the Old Lady scored fewer and conceded more goals than Inter, they still managed to win the Scudetto.
While being strong defensively is a luxury for many, some consider it to be a necessity to win trophies. Trophies are something the Nerazzurri are craving for at the moment. And that’s what’s making fans go mad over the squad that’s conceding two goals per game.
A new Inter ideology brewing?
Conceding at the rate at which Inter are is worrying one and all. Many believe that the decision to offload Godin is coming back to bite Inter. While some are also critical of Conte’s resistance to adapt to a different style with players missing due to COVID.
While many are questioning Inter’s defensive mishaps, this can be an ideological shift. Although Antonio Conte is someone who’s never keen on new ideologies, he’ll also be under fire if the Nerazzurri fail to win the Scudetto. And for the most part, it’s an exaggeration that Inter are conceding too many goals. Conte is missing Milan Skriniar as one of the pieces to his defensive puzzle. Moreover, Bastoni is only back from COVID now, who’s also the first choice left centre back. When Bastoni, de Vrij and Skriniar played together, Inter looked defensively solid.
Inter are looking to be a more attacking outfit to win games rather than being defensively solid and draw games. A good example of a club who have succeeded doing this is Atalanta. The Bergamo club competes to score more goals than their opponents. This helped them finish third in the last campaign. And they’re going strong this season as well, hammering goals everywhere they go.
What is the new Inter ideology all about?
Inter are not looking to be the next Atalanta, that will be wild. But the Nerazzurri have certainly thought about giving a bit away in the defence to be more efficient offensively. While many are criticizing Inter’s weak defensive show, not many are appreciating how strong the club has become while attacking. The new Inter ideology can enable the Nerazzurri to score at will when they have their full squad. Also, the defence will not be falling apart as it is now. It’s just a matter of time and Inter can still win the Scudetto and perform in Europe if things work out well.
