Inter’s uninventive tactics leave individual quality to make the difference

Fresh off the back of a stunning 3-3 draw away to Juventus, Parma Calcio welcomed third-placed Internazionale to the Stadio Ennio Tardini on Saturday. The historic Gialloblù from the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy currently sit 12^th in Serie A, in what is their first season back in Serie A since their demotion to Serie D in 2015 following the club’s bankruptcy that same year.

Inter had the misfortune of being on the wrong side of the first Gialloblù win of the season back in September, as Parma triumphed 1-0 at the San Siro. The Nerazzurri have had a rough run of results of late, with no wins in their last four games which included a Coppa Italia exit to Lazio. Realistically Inter’s only hope of silverware this season is the Europa League, a disappointing state of affairs given the promise of their early season results.

Inter boss Luciano Spalletti is under pressure to prove he can get the best out of this group of mercurial players, as little improvement has been shown from last season. For Parma and their manager, Roberto D’Aversa, life back in Serie A has been tough as expected but their 12^th placed position is respectable. Let’s take a closer look at how the drama unfolded, analysing both sides’ tactical approaches.

Teams

A 4-1-4-1 on paper for Parma played out as a more ambitious 4-3-3 on the pitch. D’Aversa could call upon the experienced and physically imposing Bruno Alves to marshal the backline, Antonino Barillà is among the league’s top 20 for average kilometres run in a game while Gervinho and Roberto Inglese have notched eight goals each this season.

A 4-2-3-1 would see Inter’s wide men, ex-West Ham loanee João Mário and Ivan Perisic, play quite narrow while Radja Nainggolan would be charged with supporting leading striker Mauro Icardi. Marcelo Brozovic played as the holding midfield man. The Croatian midfielder is the most successful ball winner in Italy this season, as well as having the highest average distance covered in the league.