Sassuolo Vs Inter Milan [0–5] – Serie A 2025/2026: Missed Counters, Heavy Punishment – Tactical Analysis

Inter Milan travelled to Mapei Stadium to face Sassuolo in Gameweek 24 of Serie A and confirmed their lead in the league with a convincing 0-5 win, which puts more pressure on Milan, who are now eight points behind I Nerazzurri, with a game in hand for I Rossoneri.

Inter Milan passed the Sassuolo test despite numerous injuries in their squad, confirming that the team has become more mature and capable of beating any Serie A team and avoiding unexpected surprises from teams that often disrupt the bigger teams, such as Sassuolo.

Sassuolo did their best to surprise Inter Milan initially and throughout the first half, but failed to do so despite the spaces they found at the back of Inter Milan’s defensive line.

At the same time, they were not sufficiently defensive against a very powerful attacking team, which led to the concession of five goals and left them in 11th place with 29 points for now, 12 points away from potential European participation next season and 11 points away from the relegation zone.

Therefore, Sassuolo will need to avoid any drop in their level of performance in their upcoming games in order to avoid putting themselves in a dangerous zone at the end of the season.

In this tactical analysis, we examine how Sassuolo disrupted Inter Milan but failed to convert their counterattacks into goals, and how Inter Milan responded with well-executed set pieces and crosses.

Sassuolo Vs Inter Milan Lineups & Formations

Fabio Grosso relied on a 4-3-3 formation: Arijanet Muric as goalkeeper, Sebastian Walukiewicz as right-back, Jay Idzes and Tarik Muharemović as centre-backs, and Josh Doig as left-back.

The midfield comprised Nemanja Matić as a defensive midfielder and Kristian Thorstvedt and Ismaël Koné as central midfielders.

Upfront, the three attacking players were Domenico Berardi as a right winger, Armand Laurienté as a left winger, and Andrea Pinamonti as the team’s main striker.

On the other side, Cristian Chivu started the match using Inter Milan’s usual 3-5-2 formation with Yann Sommer in goal behind Yann Bisseck, Manuel Akanji, and Alessandro Bastoni as the three centre-backs.

Luis Henrique started the match at right wing-back, while Federico Dimarco played as a left wing-back.

Piotr Zieliński formed the midfield trio with Petar Sučić and Henrikh Mkhitaryan as the three central midfielders, with an attacking line made up of the duo: Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martínez.

Sassuolo Counterattacking Plan Vs Inter Milan Reliance On Set-Pieces & Sassuolo Marking Weaknesses

Sassuolo surprised Inter Milan with quick attacks, thanks to their speedy attacking players and, more importantly, their midfielders’ penetrations into the penalty area.

This was particularly useful for Sassuolo, especially during attacking transitions, as it enabled them to achieve numerical superiority in key situations.