How Thiago Motta Juventus Tactics Beat Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan – Tactical Analysis

Juventus defeated Inter Milan 1-0 on Sunday in a crucial and decisive match in both teams Serie A campaigns.

This result saw Napoli take sole possession of the leagues top spot with 56 points, two points ahead of Inter, while Juventus climbed to fourth place with 46 points.

Inter Milan put on a strong performance in an exciting match and came very close to scoring, particularly in the first half.

On the other hand, we can observe that Juventus improvement in the second half was due to several tactical interventions by Thiago Motta, which allowed Juventus to become a strong contender in the match.

In this tactical analysis, we will explain Simone Inzaghis tactics that enabled Inter to dominate in the first half and how Thiago Motta attempted to shift the balance of the match in the second half.

Juventus Vs Inter Milan Lineups & Formations

Juventus used the main 4-2-3-1 formation.

GK: Michele Di Gregorio

RB: Timothy Weah

RCB: Federico Gatti

LCB: Renato Veiga

LB: Nicolò Savona

RCM: Teun Koopmeiners

LCM: Khéphren Thuram

RW: Francisco Conceição

CAM: Weston McKennie

LW: Nicolás González

ST: Randal Kolo Muani

Inter Milan used the main 5-3-2 shape, which, as we will explain, had many variations depending on the game phase.

GK: Yann Sommer

RWB: Denzel Dumfries

RCB: Benjamin Pavard

CB: Francesco Acerbi

LCB: Alessandro Bastoni

LWB: Federico Dimarco

RCM: Nicolò Barella

CM: Hakan Çalhanoğlu

LCM: Henrikh Mkhitaryan

RS / LS: Lautaro Martínez and Mehdi Taremi

Inter Milan Tactics In-Possession Vs Juventus Tactics Out Of Possession

As shown below, Juventus relied heavily on a mid-press in the first half with their 4-2-3-1 shape, while Inter Milan progressed with the 3-3-2 shape.

When the ball is with Inter Milans left centre-back, Juventus right winger presses him with a curved run, trying to close the passing lane toward the left wing-back.

At the same time, the two midfielders (CAM and RCM, near the ball) mark two midfielders of Inter Milan in the middle so that Juventus LCM marks the striker who drops to the midfield.

The most important aspect of this scheme is the narrow positions of Juventus two wingers, which enables them to cover the shadow of Inters midfielders in the beginning, especially the far winger (LW in this case).

When the ball is switched, the LCM presses Inters right midfielder to allow the LW to press, while the RCM is responsible for returning to the striker.

After learning about Juventuss scheme, lets learn how they failed to face Inter Milans continuous dynamics.

The photo below shows the first dynamic against which they couldnt behave: Bastoni going diagonally while switching the ball.

As shown below, the situation is good for Juventus, especially with the midfield