Serie A 2020/21: Inter vs Spezia – tactical analysis

Inter faced Spezia last Sunday and the game ended with a 2-1 win for Inter which helped them get closer to leading the Serie A and attaining the top spot which is actually occupied by Milan. Spezia were able to prevent Inter from scoring until the 52nd minute before Achraf Hakimi scored a goal following a solo effort at the right-wing and then Romelu Lukaku was successful in scoring a penalty and at the last minute of the game. Roberto Piccoli‘s shot hit the net and that was Spezia’s sole goal.

The win was also fundamental for Inter not only because they are now concentrating just on Serie A due to their elimination from the UEFA Champions League, but also because there are many teams right below them in the standings and any bad result could see one of Juventus, Sassuolo, Napoli, or Roma take over Inter’s second spot. For Spezia however, the team came to Milano in order to do their best to get the three points or even a point, but things did not go well for them even though they played a good match and managed to disturb Inter especially at the last 20 minutes of the game.

In this tactical analysis article, we will provide extensive analysis of both teams tactics and what Inter did to win this match especially in terms of attacking performance while also looking at Spezia’s defensive and attacking plans during this match. But first, we will begin by presenting the line-ups.

Line-ups

Antonio Conte chose to start this match with his preferred formation, the 3-5-2. This system relied on Samir Handanović as a goalkeeper, Milan Škriniar, Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni as centre-backs, and in midfield, there was line composed of five players, Achraf Hakimi as a right-winger, Nicolò Barella, Marcelo Brozović and Roberto Gagliardini as central midfielders and Ashley Young as a left-winger. And in terms of strikers, Inter’s best-attacking duo during these two years started this match; Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martínez.

For the visitors, Vincenzo Italiano played with a 4-3-3 formation that was composed of Ivan Provedel as a goalkeeper, Luca Vignali as a right-back, Claudio Terzi and Ardian Ismajli as centre-backs, and Simone Bastoni on the left flank. In midfield, the team relied on Matteo Ricci as a central midfielder and Alessandro Deiola and Luca Mora as right and left midfielders, respectively. In front of them played Gennaro Acampora on the right-wing, Emanuel Gyasi as a left-winger and MBala Nzola as the team’s striker.

Inter’s attacking plans

Inter started this match with patience and with gradual advancing into Spezia’s third, and instead of being in a hurry they built up from the back and relied mainly on Hakimi’s overlaps on the right and Young’s assistance from the left as well. And as the game went on, Inter players started to get more and more forward to the point that at times six players were on the same line with Spezia’s last line of defence, as you can see in this picture.

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