Five Takeaways: Inter 2-1 Verona

Inter Milan keep applying the pressure in the Serie A standings. The Nerazzurri currently sit ahead of Juventus and Lazio while being one point back from Napoli.

A delightful goal from Borja Valero and another clutch strike from Ivan Perisic enables Inter to grab 3 points from Hellas Verona, defeating them 2-1. Let’s get to the five takeaways.

What would the club do without Perisic?

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It’s hard to imagine where this club would be without the likes of both Mauro Icardi and Perisic. Sure, Inter might have some exciting youth coming with the likes of 19-year-old Yann Karamoh, but having the luxury of these two players has saved Inter on multiple occasions. It was yet another beautiful shot from Perisic that found the top right to push Spalletti’s men higher in the Serie A table. The balance that Perisic has as a winger makes him an honor to watch. He has 5 assists this season, while averaging around 2 key passes per game. Perisic is the type of player that’s there when you need it most, and it benefited Inter in this one.

Inspiring form of Antonio Candreva

Candreva has been in good form lately with the likes of his dangerous crosses and willingness to win the ball back. The 30-year-old got rewarded against Verona with an absolute peach of a cross to Valero (the finish was sublime as well) which put a smile on the Inter fanbase. I love seeing this new type of style with play from Candreva. His supplement of consistent key passes can only add to what is becoming a dangerous Inter attack.

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Not the ideal result, but it is a win

It might just be me, but I didn’t feel comfortable throughout portions of this fixture. Inter was the better of the two sides, but they seemed to take their foot off the gas at some points. The Nerazzurri should’ve increased the score by at least 3 goals or more, but a lot of their chances sailed over the bar or got deflected out. They need to convert the opportunities they’re given if they want to seek out the top of the Serie A, especially against the bigger clubs. I must also mention that Samir Handanovic’s penalty is what it is. He felt like he needed to grab the ball, so he went for it. It just didn’t go as planned, but I can’t seem to really fault him for that.

Pressure in the Serie A table

It’s crazy that we’re talking about being towards the top of the league table right now. It surely is a great feeling to have. Inter has done a nice job doing just enough to get the wins, a tactic used by Real Madrid last season (even though it came back to bite last match). The win moves us into second, and Inter has another favorable opponent in Torino in their next match. It may be nice to do just enough to conserve the energy of some of the players, but as previously mentioned, I’d still like to see more. Maybe a few signings in January will propel us to the top.

The pretty schedule

The next time Inter takes on an opponent within the top five will be December 9th as they take on Juventus. There are some tough opponents coming up in Torino and Atalanta, but Inter should go in with confidence. Let’s take the three points today, and focus on the schedule we have coming up. The top five seems to be getting whatever they can out of a match, and Inter needs to keep pace. The time gap between the Juventus fixture will be a nice period to see if we can play a different type of football. Playing the possession game might seem boring to some, but it can work. Inter dominated possession numbers against Verona with a 60 percent rate, while they currently hold around a 53 percent possession average in the Serie A. These upcoming fixtures should be a nice way to boost that number while getting some players like Joao Mario and Matias Vecino producing.

What are your takeaways from this match? Anybody else impress you? Who do you expect to perform in the upcoming fixtures? Let us know in the comments below!